


Super Soulmates

by Gage39



Category: Supergirl (TV 2015)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, Asexual Character, Asexuality, Bisexuality, F/M, Gen, M/M, Multi, Pansexual Character, Past Abuse, Past Child Abuse
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2021-02-21
Updated: 2021-03-16
Packaged: 2021-03-17 17:20:32
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 14
Words: 28,858
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/29596137
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Gage39/pseuds/Gage39
Summary: Soulmate AU. Kara and James have always known that they had a third soulmate but it isn't until Kara is taken in by the DEO that she meets Agent Winn Schott, Jr., their soulmate. But convincing him to join them is more difficult than she had anticipated.
Relationships: James "Jimmy" Olsen/Winn Schott Jr., Kara Danvers/James "Jimmy" Olsen, Kara Danvers/James "Jimmy" Olsen/Winn Schott Jr., Kara Danvers/Winn Schott Jr.
Comments: 30
Kudos: 31





	1. Chapter 1

Soulmates were treasured on Krypton and overly romanticized on Earth. On Krypton it wasn't uncommon for someone to have more than one soulmate, in fact it was considered a great honor, one Kara had always hoped for. Earth, however, considered it abnormal, _wrong_ even. It...appalled her and she was very grateful that James didn't feel the same way.

The fact that they could only see a few colors had clued them in pretty quick that there was someone else out there, waiting for them. Kara was fine with whoever the universe wanted to give them but she (and James) were secretly hoping it would be another guy. They couldn't wait to meet their third and Kara hoped it was soon.

She and James had been together for almost two years before she finally used her powers in public. It didn't take long for the DEO (and her _darling_ sister Alex) to capture her and lecture her.

"So how long have you been working for the DEO?" Kara asked as Alex led her through the building.

"About five years now," Alex admitted. "Look Hank's not a bad guy, sure he can be a little intense but he really wants what's best for this planet and for everyone living on it. No offense to your cousin but even you have to admit Metropolis has seen some pretty weird shit ever since he went public."

Kara winced but reluctantly nodded. "But he's also done a lot of good."

"And we're not disputing that," Alex countered. "Just making an observation. We don't care if you play hero, Kara, we just want to know that you're not being a vigilante or turn evil. Just work with us, help us keep Earth safe and-"

Kara was nodding her head dutifully when she saw it - a color she had never seen before. She stopped in her tracks and turned to look. A man was standing in a doorway, his eyes wide as he stared at her in shock.

Alex turned to see what had captured her sister's attention and smiled. "Hey, Winn."

Winn. It was a beautiful name and Kara said as much as she stepped closer. To her surprise Winn stepped back, almost tripping over his own feet as he tried to get away from her.

It was then that Kara took notice of the black eye and heavily bandaged wrist and sling on his left arm. He looked...terrified of her and that _hurt_ more than anything else ever had.

"Winn? Kara?" Alex sounded worried and that was very unlike her. "Winn, sweetie?" She appeared in Kara's field of vision, blocking her view of the cute guy. "Winn, I need you to breathe for me, okay? Can you do that?"

"What's wrong?" Kara demanded.

Alex shushed her then turned back to Winn. "Deep breaths, Winn. In and out, in and out."

In the end it took fifteen minutes and the two of them getting escorted to a private room but Winn finally calmed down to the point where he could speak.

"What's going on?" Alex asked, arms crossed as she looked between the two of them.

"I can see all of the colors now," Kara answered.

Alex closed her eyes for a moment then turned to Winn. "Can-can you see colors now?" Winn nodded and Alex groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose. "How about I leave the two of you to talk things over? You can trust her, Winn, I promise."

The door shut behind her and Kara stared at her soulmate for a long moment then decided to introduce herself. "I am Kara Zor-El and here I am known as Kara Danvers."

"Winn Schott, Jr.," he said.

"I like your name," she smiled and took a step closer but stopped when he flinched back. "I won't hurt you," she tried to keep the hurt from her voice but suspected she didn't do a very good job.

Winn's laugh was oddly bitter as he said, "The last time someone interested in me said that I wound up with these," he indicated his eye and wrist. "So forgive me if I don't exactly believe you."

Kara was infuriated at the thought of someone hurting her soulmate but kept quiet, not wanting to scare him. "James and I would never hurt you," she promised.

"James?" Winn raised an eyebrow. "Is he why I can't see all of the colors yet?"

"Yes," Kara smiled. "We've been waiting to meet you for almost two years now."

Winn looked wistful at the thought then shook his head. "Trust me, I'm no one's first choice of a soulmate. It's better if the two of you just forget about me."

Kara felt like her heart was breaking. This wasn't how she had expected this meeting to go. She had always pictured a warm hug followed by soft kisses before the three of them fell into bed together. So what if it was a little cliche? 

"We can't do that," she replied. "I understand that you're wary of being hurt again but I promise we would never do that to you. Even if you don't trust me yet at least trust Alex."

"I trust Alex," Winn said quietly after a pause.

"And she trusts me. If nothing else could we at least get together for coffee or something? You and James both deserve to be able to see all the colors."

Winn sighed. "Fine. We can have coffee in the morning. Is Noonan's okay?"

Kara brightened. "I love Noonan's," she grinned. "How about seven?" She suggested.

"That works." The two looked at each other for a minute then Winn stood. "I should really get back to work now," he said apologetically. 

"Same here," Kara smiled at him and was pleased to see a faint blush before he exited the room. She barely had time to process anything before Alex came striding back in. 

"We need to talk."

* * *

Winn practically ran down the hallway, dodging the other agents with ease. Thankfully Hank's office wasn't very away and he burst in, collapsing into a chair and startling his boss.

"What's wrong?" Hank was on his feet in an instance, a hand seeking out his gun.

"I-I found one of my soulmates," Winn managed to choke out.

"Oh," understanding appeared on Hank's face and he perched on the edge of his desk. "Let me guess, Supergirl."

"Yeah," Winn nodded. "And apparently someone named James as well. I'm supposed to meet them for coffee in the morning."

"That could be a good idea," Hank looked at him. "I think you should go. I know you gave up on finding your soulmate a long time ago but you have a chance at real happiness now."

"My parents were soulmates," Winn reminded him. "And it didn't work out very well for them or for me."

Hank sighed. "How about I go with you? I can keep an eye out just in case."

"If it's not too much trouble," Winn muttered.

"Not at all," Hank said. "Not at all."

* * *

By the time Kara got home it was late but James was still waiting up for her.

"Are you alright?" He asked worriedly as soon as she entered the apartment.

"Sort of," she sighed and sank down on the couch, snuggling ino James's warmth. "I met him," she said quietly.

"Who?" James asked then his eyes widened. "Our soulmate?" 

Kara nodded. "His name is Winn Schott, Jr. He and Alex work for the DEO."

"I thought the DEO was just a myth," James murmured as he wrapped an arm around her. "Did-did it not go as well as you had hoped?"

"He had a panic attack when he realized I was his soulmate," a sob escaped her throat and James's grip on her tightened. "Alex told me about his last relationship, apparently the alien he was dating tried to push him down three flights of stairs. He got a black eye and a broken wrist out of it along with some bruised ribs. She was arrested but his injuries still haven't healed. He didn't seem very happy about being our soulmate. He wanted me to forget about him."

"I know it's hard," James kissed the side of her head. "But we'll take it one step at a time, okay? All this means is that we get to court him properly."

"True," she admitted. "He did agree to meet us for coffee at Noonan's in the morning."

"See?" James smiled. "Baby steps."

* * *

The second he stepped into Noonan's James's world exploded with color and, sitting in the middle of it, was one of the cutest guys James had ever seen. He wore a blue button-up with a matching cardigan and was staring at James in awe. 

James recovered first and stepped forward, holding out his hand. "I'm James Olsen," he introduced himself.

"Winn-Winn Schott, Jr.," the cute guy warily shook his hand. James wondered if he too felt the sparks where they had touched.

"Thank you for agreeing to meet us," Kara smiled warmly as she sat across from Winn, James sliding in next to her.

Winn shrugged. "Hank and Alex wouldn't let me back out," he muttered.

James tried not to show that he was hurt by Winn's confession but it was hard.

"N-not that I didn't want to meet you but, uh, but, I, uh, I, well, I have really bad anxiety," he explained. "So I can't help but, uh, but imagine the worst possible scenario."

"That makes sense," James smiled. He felt a little better, knowing that it was just Winn's anxiety talking and not necessarily his true feelings.

"It sucks though," Winn grumbled. "Thanks," he told the waitress as she gave him his coffee before taking Kara and James's orders. "I come here a lot," he said when they stared at him.

"We don't usually come in until about eight," Kara said. James had no doubt their morning routine was about to change so they could start sitting with Winn.

"Alex dragged me here my first day at the DEO," he admitted. "She said I was going to need to know the best coffee spot in town."

"She wasn't lying," James agreed. "Are you from National City?"

Winn hesitated then nodded. "Originally, but I went out of state for college then the DEO recruited me as soon as I graduated so I moved back here."

"Really?" Kara leaned forward. "What college did you go to?"

"Why do you care?" Winn asked abruptly. "Both of you can see all of your colors now so there-there's no reason for you to keep talking to me. And-and if you're looking for sex you can forget it. I'm asexual so-so sex isn't really something that I'm interested in."

James wondered just how many people had hurt him, had walked over him, had abandoned him before. It had to have been more than a few, judging by the suspicious yet pained expression on Winn's face.

A pained noise escaped Kara and she reached across the table but pulled back when Winn flinched away.

"You're-you're our _soulmate,_ Winn. We just want to get to know you," Kara exclaimed. "Why-why would we only meet you to see all of our colors and then never see you again? That's-that's just cruel."

Winn shrugged. "That's just the way my life works," he mumbled.

"There's nothing wrong with being asexual," James said gently. "Kara's pan and I'm bi so you being ace doesn't bother us. We would still like to get to know you better. Please, let us at least try to court you."

Winn blushed and bit his lip. "I've gotta get to work," he stood up. "I, uh, I'll be here in the morning about the same time if you, uh, if you want to come by."

"Sounds like fun," James smiled. "We'll see you then."

"Bye," Kara waved at Winn who awkwardly returned it before leaving. A few seconds later another man followed him out, turning to glare at both of them as he walked out.

"I want to kill someone," James said abruptly. 

"Agreed," Kara growled.


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara's uniform gets an upgrade.

As soon as Winn sat down at his desk Alex appeared.

"So, how was it? Hank doesn't look like he wants to kill them so I'm taking that as a good sign."

"We're having coffee tomorrow. At least, I told them they could come if they wanted," Winn didn't look at her as he began powering up his computers. He was the only agent that could run three computers at a time, which was how he'd ended up as the head of his department. 

"They'll come," Alex assured him. "Kara's been dying to find you ever since she came to live with us."

"But why would anyone want  _ me _ when they've already got James? I mean, have you seen the guy? He's like an Adonis."

Alex sighed and rested a hand on his shoulder. "That may be but he certainly can't learn an alien language in an hour or hack into the Pentagon."

"I did that one time," Winn protested. "I was thirteen and bored out of my mind. Besides, it's not like they ever caught me."

"My point," Alex squeezed his shoulder, "is that you have plenty of things to offer. Plus, Kara told me she thought you were cute."

"Cute," Winn muttered. "What every guy dreams of being called."

Alex rolled her eyes. "You can't fool me, Winn. You want this to work just as much as they do if not more. I know you've had some bad relationships in the past and you're scared of this turning out the same way but you don't have to be. Kara and James are two of the best people that I know. I can guarantee you that they will never hurt you. They won't force you to have sex or anything like that."

Winn told himself that his eyes were itching and that's why he was rubbing them, not because he was tearing up.

"You can trust them," Alex reiterated. "You deserve to be happy just as much as everyone else is. Just...give them a chance."

"We'll see," Winn said evasively. "Now if you'll excuse me, I have to finish decoding this computer code written in Valerian. Oh, but do tell your sister to stop by later so I can get her measurements. I refuse to be associated with anyone wearing that...rag."

Alex chuckled. "I'll tell her to stop by," she promised. 

* * *

"He wants to see me?" Kara was thrilled at the news. Even Cat's incessant insults couldn't bring her down right now.

"He doesn't like the costume," Alex explained. "He wants to make some modifications to it."

In Kara's defense neither she nor James could sew so she had wound up buying a Superman t-shirt and a red skirt to wear. It, she was willing to admit, was a little tacky. She certainly wasn't going to complain if he wanted to spice it up. 

"But still, he wants to see me!" Kara clung to the hope his request had sparked in her. Any interaction was good, she was certain of that.

"Try to calm down a little, please? Winn has anxiety issues and you can go overboard," Alex pointed out. "If he has another panic attack Hank will not be happy. He's semi-adopted Winn after all."

Well. That certainly explained why he had been at Noonan's that morning. And the dirty look he had shot the two of them when leaving.

"I'll try," Kara promised.

It was less than an hour later when she appeared in the middle of the DEO, happily looking for her soulmate. It only took her a minute to locate him. Winn was sitting in front of three computers, typing with one hand while talking on the phone and awkwardly eating takeout noodles with his bandaged hand. Kara's heart fluttered a bit and she eagerly walked over to him.

Winn's eyes widened when he saw her and he awkwardly smiled and hung up the phone. "I didn't expect to see you so soon," he admitted, slurping down the last of his noodles before tossing the carton in the trash.

"How could I not come?" She smiled. "I always have time for my soulmates, no matter what. Besides, James hates my costume too so…"

"Glad to know we both have good taste," Winn muttered then stood up. "Demos, you're in charge," he told the agent next to him then left the room, Kara eagerly following him. "You need something that's a lot more durable and professional looking. I'll need to get your measurements but I should have it done by morning if you want to pick it up then."

"Are you going to sew it?" Kara asked in surprise. She had imagined that the DEO had an entire department of seamstresses working on their matching black outfits.

"Don't sound so surprised," Winn rolled his eyes. "I stayed with, I mean I knew a couple from India when I was younger and they taught me how to use a sewing machine but my...my dad originally taught me hand-stitching." His voice was oddly wistful and he looked...sad.

Kara chose not to focus on his slip up and smiled instead. "I never had the patience to learn," she admitted. "Plus I kept breaking the needles so Eliza eventually gave up."

Winn smirked. "And that's why you will never touch my sewing machine. I spent a lot of time tinkering with it and I will ruin your online presence if you break it."

"Does that mean we get to see your place sometime?" She asked excitedly.

Winn froze and looked nervous. "I-I, maybe? Not right now but maybe one day?"

"That would be nice," Kara smiled. "And you're always welcome to see our place. It's not much but it's cozy."

"There's nothing wrong with cozy." Winn pushed open a door and she followed him into a room filled with gadgets and tools. "This is my workshop," he explained. "Hank won't let me take some of this stuff home to work on so he gave me this room instead. Make yourself comfortable while I find my measuring tape and fabrics."

"Sure." Kara looked around the room while Winn dug through a drawer. To her it looked messy, cluttered but she suspected that Winn knew where everything was. Coffee cups littered the desk along with candy wrappers and takeout cartons. There were only a few personal items she could find: action figures and a framed picture of Winn and Hank who looked oddly...mellow as he rested a hand on Winn's shoulder.

"Alex took that after I got my promotion," Winn said as he peered around her to see what she was looking at. "She threatened Hank if he didn't participate. I think he has a copy on his desk if I'm not mistaken."

"That's sweet," she smiled and turned to face him. "So, what do you need me to do?"

"Just hold still," he held up the measuring tape and got to work. 

Kara shivered a little when he measured her breasts but forced herself not to react. He had made it clear he wasn't interested in sex and she had no desire to make him uncomfortable if she could help it. He was very thorough, even measuring her feet and ears.

"I'm going to be making you a headset so you can communicate with the DEO more easily," he explained. "And you need more durable shoes." He looked disdainfully at the red boots she had gotten on clearance. "Those are great for everyday use but not for superheroing. They wouldn't last three minutes in a good downpour or fighting a raging monster."

"True," she admitted sheepishly. "I probably should have gotten my cousin's folks to help with my costume."

"Probably," Winn agreed. "I hear Cat Grant can be a real pain to work for."

"She can be," Kara sighed. "But I like my job and James is head of the Art Department but sometimes I think he misses being out in the field and taking pictures."

"I, uh, I actually thought working there myself," Winn confessed. "But Hank recruited me first so I, uh, I came here instead. I like getting to build stuff more than I would working in IT that's for sure."

For just a moment Kara wondered. She wondered what it would have been like to have known Winn from day one. She tried to imagine it: her and Winn sitting across from each other, meeting James for lunch, sneaking kisses in the bathrooms or on the roof...it would have been...wonderful.

"So how did he recruit you?" Kara asked. "Did he track you down and corner you in a dark alley?"

Winn laughed, a grin on his face. "No, he came to my apartment and offered me a job. Apparently hacking into the DEO mainframe is a good way to get noticed. Not that they could prove it was me, I was just the most likely suspect and he thought hiring me would be better than having me as an 'unknown entity'. Hank's words, not mine."

"Sounds like him. He seems...intense."

Winn sighed. "He scared the shit out of me the first time we met. I mean, who opens their door at 5 am to find tall, dark and creepy armed with a gun standing there and thinks it's normal?"

Kara winced. "I wouldn't."

"Exactly," Winn rolled his eyes. "He never got why I thought it was creepy. Although, it was funny when he tried that on Alex. She swung at 'im with a baseball bat. It was hilarious."

"I bet," Kara giggled. Alex had always been the more confrontational of the two sisters while Kara had been content to stay in the shadows, away from scrutiny. She had never wanted to be in the public eye which was ironic, all things considered. Her cousin thrived on it and, she was forced to admit, she was coming to understand the appeal but it also had its downfalls.

"All done," Winn announced. "I have all your measurements. Now, onto designs. Do you want to keep with your cousin's colors or do something different?"

"Hmm," Kara frowned in thought. "I like his color scheme," she decided. "Blue was the color my mother wore as the leader of Krypton and red was the color of my father's house. And you'll put the crest on, right?"

"Of course," Winn assured her. "Do you want a skirt or pants? I could do something with both if you want…" his voice trailed off as he scribbled something down in a notebook.

"A skirt," Kara decided. "Maybe a skort or something? So I don't flash everyone? I've been wearing shorts for now."

"I'll think of something," Winn promised. "Don't worry, by the time I'm done no one will be able to criticize it anymore."

"So I can pick it up at Noonan's in the morning?" She checked. 

"If you want or I can have Alex drop it off," he offered.

"No," Kara blurted out, earning a startled look. "I mean, picking it up in the morning sounds great. James and I are looking forward to seeing you again."

Winn blushed and turned his attention back to his notebook. "I'll be there around seven, maybe seven thirty. I'll need to pull an all nighter but I should have it done by then."

"I want a cape," she told him.

"No," Winn didn't even look up. "Capes are outdated and you can tell your cousin I said that. Actually, wait, don't tell him that. Why do you want a cape? If you say "because it looks cool" I will never speak to you again."

"It...helps with the aerodynamics," she said. "It gives me more stability when I'm flying."

"That," Winn pointed his pen at her, "is a logical reason. Very well, I'll make you a cape. Is red okay?"

"Very," she grinned.

"Cool. You can go now, I have a lot of work to get done."

Knowing a dismissal when she heard one Kara nodded. "Bye, I'll see you in the morning."

Winn just hummed in response, not looking up as she left the room.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara gets her suit and they plans for a date.

It was either very, very late or very, very early by the time Winn finished with Kara's costume. It looked magnificent, however, and he was very proud of it. Hank wouldn't be thrilled that he had used the bulletproof material he had just invented and planned on using to upgrade the DEO uniforms on Supergirl instead but he would get over it. The material was Winn's to do with as he pleased, thanks to a handy little clause in his contract, one that Hank had insisted on including. 

Besides, he still had plenty left over and it wouldn't be that hard to whip up a few more yards. He still had enough left to do Alex's and J'onn's, well  _ Hank's  _ uniforms and he could have those done by the end of the week. But if nothing else, at least Kara's was done and he wouldn't have to die of embarrassment every time he saw his soulmate on TV. 

Soulmate. It was still hard for him to believe that he had not one but  _ two _ soulmates and that both of them were interested in him. It was...everything he had hoped for but now he was scared. True, he trusted Alex and Hank who were both of the opinion that James and Kara could be trusted but still. Winn had been through a lot in his lifetime, leaving him with abandonment and trust issues. Not to mention a lack of self-esteem, something Hank and Alex had been trying to correct. 

He sighed and peered at himself in the bathroom mirror. His black eye was almost completely gone and the bruises on his ribs were fading as well. The doctor had said his wrist would be healed within another week if he didn't do anything too strenuous with it.

Winn couldn't wait for all the bruises and bandages to be gone. Maybe then everyone wouldn't look so sad when they looked at him. He could see the pity in their eyes and he  _ hated _ that. Thankfully, Kara and James hadn't looked at him like that yet. Sure they looked sad but not like they pitied him and he was grateful for that.

Although he had to be more careful. He had slipped up when talking to Kara about his childhood. If she found out that he had been in foster care then she would wonder why and that would lead to questions about his parents and…

"Breathe," he reminded himself as his cheat started heaving and his heart racing. "Just breathe." He started counting and, finally, managed to calm himself down.

"I need some sleep," he yawned. "Especially if I'm going to meet them in the morning. I...I wouldn't mind being able to keep meeting them but we'll see," he sighed.

* * *

  
  


To James's amusement Kara seemed rather nervous the next morning. She had been overjoyed the day before about getting to see him and James would admit that he was a little jealous. Maybe he should become a superhero too just so Winn could take his measurements and make him a suit. That could actually be fun.

Kara had gone all out, spraying her expensive perfume and spent extra time brushing her hair. James couldn't say anything, having dug out the cologne Clark got him and ironed his tie. If they were going to court Winn then they should look their best.

Winn was already there, looking a bit wild-eyed and drinking his fourth cup of coffee. A red and blue gift bag sat on the table in front of them and he waved at them.

"Hey, Winn," James greeted as they sat down.

"Hi," Winn seemed a bit jittery, even more so than normal. He finished his coffee and the waitress brought him another one before promising to bring James and Kara their usuals. 

"That's a lot of coffee," Kara stared at the empty cups worriedly.

"Nah," Winn waved a hand. "This is nothing. Sometimes I have like thirty cups a day but the last time I did that Hank locked me in my apartment for three days until it was out of my system. Now I have a strict fifteen cups a day limit," he sighed wistfully. "But I finished it," he pushed the bag closer to Kara who eagerly took it. 

She opened the bag and peered in. "It's wonderful, thank you."

James took a quick peek. Inside was a blue shirt with her crest on it and a red skirt with a matching set of short shorts. A red cape and boots completed the look.

"No problem," Winn grinned. "It's a new material I designed. It has lightweight lead interwoven in the fabric so you shouldn't have to worry about any more bullet holes. It should also be able to protect against small does of Kryptonite but not large ones. I'm still making improvements on it but I should be able to come up with something that completely protects you from Kryptonite. I really think you should wear a mask though, it will help protect your identity a lot better than those glasses."

"For the record I agree with you," James shook his head. "I told Clark the same thing but he never listened to me."

"Clark Kent is - , that makes a lot of sense actually," Winn blinked. "Huh."

_ "He _ doesn't need a mask," Kara pointed out.

"Yes he does," James argued.

"Think of it this way," Winn leaned forward. "You're kind of a secret agent now and Alex has put in a lot of work trying to keep your identity a secret. If nothing else then do it for her. Besides, you work for a  _ major _ news company. Wouldn't somebody there be able to put the pieces together and notice you missing whenever Supergirl shows up?"

"Cat's already noticed," James pointed out. "She's starting to get suspicious that the two of you look alike so you need to do something to take her notice off of you. "

"On second thought a mask or a wig wouldn't be such a bad idea," Kara sighed.

"Awesome," Winn grinned. "I actually have something ready." He pulled a brown wig out of his messenger bag that had a blue and red mask attached to it. "The mask will cover your eyes so people can't see what color they are but you can still see out of it."

"You came prepared," Kara blinked as she tucked the wig in her bag.

"Were you a boy scout?" James joked.

Winn laughed and shook his head. "Nope. Sorry to disappoint. I was more of the "stay indoors and read nerd" and in high school I was in the computer club and drama club."

"Did you ever star in any plays?" James asked.

"Oh no no no. I helped with the sets and costumes. I never went out on stage. As you can imagine I wasn't very popular," he sighed.

"I don't think anyone was popular in high school," Kara muttered. "The only reason I wasn't bullied was because everyone was scared of Alex."

"I can't blame them," Winn said. "I'm terrified of her and she  _ likes _ me. I hate to think what she'd do if she hated me."

James felt awkward as the two discussed their high school years. Even though he had been on the school paper he had also played football and been very popular among the other students.

Instead he took the time and observed his soulmates. Winn was more animated than he had been the day before, gesturing with his hands as he talked, his brown eyes bright and a smile on his face. Kara was leaning forward, resting her elbows on the table, a wide smile on her own face. 

The two of them looked absolutely gorgeous and James felt a strange sense of contentment settle in his chest as he watched them. In that one moment everything was right in the world.

"So," James leaned forward when the conversation died down. "How did you get involved with the DEO? They stake you out in college or something?"

Winn laughed nervously and tugged at his collar. "It's a, uh, a long story. Not entirely a good one either. Wow, look at the time, I gotta go."

Before he could run away James slid his phone over. "Why don't you put your number in?" He suggested. "In case you want to talk or see how the suit's holding up."

Winn hesitated then quickly entered the information, giving the phone back to James when he was done.

"I sent myself a text so I have your number," he said. "I'll, uh, I'll see you guys later?"

"Sure," James smiled. "We'll be here in the morning."

"Cool," Winn gave them an awkward wave then all but ran out of the restaurant. 

"What was that about?" James frowned. 

"I don't know," Kara shrugged. "He mentioned something about hacking their mainframe in college but he didn't say  _ why _ ."

"The DEO deals strictly with aliens, right?"

"Yeah so?" Kara looked confused.

"According to Alex he doesn't have a problem with dating aliens so, maybe, he dated one in college. One that didn't treat him right. Maybe he hacked into the DEO so they would investigate and take the alien into custody."

"That would actually make sense," Kara admitted. "At least aliens don't freak him out."

"Which is good for you," James leaned over and planted a kiss on her lips. "And he doesn't seem to mind that I'm a guy." He had seen far too many soulmates get torn apart because the other couldn't handle being with someone of the same gender.

"Or that there are three of us," Kara added as she leaned back. "But we should probably get going ourselves, Ms. Grant will be getting in soon."

"Definitely don't want to make her mad," James agreed.

* * *

  
  


It was later that afternoon when Winn finally got a text from James. He was working so he wasn't really supposed to be checking his phone but as long as it didn't interfere with their work Hank didn't usually care. After seeing the name he hesitated then decided to read it. Since he didn't typically do that he knew Hank wouldn't say anything.

_ Hey, sorry if I upset you earlier. _

Winn bit his lip then texted back.

_ It's fine. You didn't mean anything. At least, I don't think you did. _

As soon as he hit send Winn started panicking. 

_ Wait, I didn't mean that. You don't seem like the type to be mean. Unless I'm reading you wrong. I might be. I suck at reading people…I just ruined any chance I had with you guys didn't I? _

Winn groaned and dropped his head in his hands. How did he manage to screw things up like every single time? His phone dinged again and again and again. Very, very reluctantly he opened his phone back up. 

_ I didn't mean to upset you, I promise. I didn't realize it was a sensitive subject. _

_ I try not to be mean if I can help it and I would certainly never be mean to you. _

_ You didn't blow your chances, I promise. You could never do that with us. I promise, we will always want you. _

_ Are you okay? _

Winn took a deep breath and forced his hands to stop shaking as he got ready to reply.

_ I'm fine, just a little overwhelmed.  _

_ Does that happen often? _

_ Yeah, Hank thinks I might have really mild autism. I get overstimulated easily. There's a reason I don't go out for drinks that much. I have to take my earplugs so the noise doesn't get to me.  _

_ Nothing wrong with that. We usually visit a karaoke bar on the weekends. Want to come with? I might even be able to talk Kara out of making you sing. _

A smile spread across Winn's face.

_ Sure. Sounds like fun. At least, I hope it'll be. _

_ It should. Details over coffee in the morning? _

_ That sounds good to me. _

Winn hesitated then typed out a message and sent it before he could change his mind.

_ I'm glad I met you guys. _

_ Us too. _


	4. Chapter 4

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winn, James and Kara go to a date at the karaoke bar.

Kara wasn't going to lie: she was nervous about Friday night. They were going to go on their first real outing with Winn. James wasn't as nervous as she was but he was still a tiny bit.

She didn't usually dress up to go to the karaoke bar but she made an exception for tonight. She had picked out her favorite blue shirt and nice khakis, even wearing her less nerdy glasses. James wore a purple dress shirt and black slacks, looking very dashing.

"Let's just hope Winn thinks so," he had said after she complimented him.

"How could he not?" She finished braiding her hair and nodded in satisfaction. "I'm as ready as I'll ever be."

"Same."

The bar wasn't far so they walked, hoping it would help calm their nerves. They walked hand in hand, not seeing the need to break the silence. As they got closer Kara found herself tensing. What if Winn decided not to come? Sure he had seemed eager to come that morning during coffee but that didn't mean his anxiety hadn't gotten the better of him.

"Look," James pointed and Kara broke out in a smile.

Ahead of them, pacing nervously in front of the entrance, was Winn. He seemed to be chewing his nails and muttering to himself.

"Winn," Kara called.

He spun to face them, awkwardly waving. He looked even cuter than usual, wearing a blue cardigan over a striped button-up. 

"Hey, glad you could make it," James greeted.

"Uh, me too?" Winn seemed rather unsure of what to say. "Oh, Alex told me to tell you that I have my anxiety medicine with me if I need it. You, uh, you might want to hold onto it." He held out a prescription bottle which Kara took and tucked in her purse.

"Probably a good idea," James agreed. "Less likely to lose it that way."

Winn nodded. "That and apparently I forget to take it," he sighed. "Hank keeps some in his office in case of an emergency."

"I'm claustrophobic," Kara blurted out upon seeing how embarrassed he looked. "I can't stand elevators."

"She really can't," James groaned. "But she also refuses to take the stairs so…"

"I don't like heights," Winn confessed. 

"Snakes are my weakness," James admitted. "Never liked them, not even at the zoo."

"I knew a couple that had a pet boa constrictor," Winn said. "They would let it roam free at night and you never knew whether or not you would wake up with it in your bed."

James and Kara both shuddered.

"That sounds awful," Kara couldn't even begin to imagine what it must have been like waking up with a snake in your bed.

"It was," Winn nodded. "I was so happy to move after that."

Kara wanted to ask for elaboration but James squeezed her hand warningly and she got the hint. There was no need to upset Winn before the evening even started.

"Ready to go in?" She asked. "They've got some really good hot wings."

Winn brightened. "I love hot wings."

"Let's go then," James said and slowly, carefully wrapped his other arm around Winn's shoulders. Winn tensed for a moment but didn't try to push him off.

Kara smiled as the bouncer opened the door for them. She hoped that the evening went well. If it did perhaps Winn would be up to spending more time with them. And maybe, one day, he would be willing to join their relationship and maybe even move in with them. 

The bar was a little noisy and Kara took a second to slip in her earplugs, spotting Winn doing the same thing. James had already explained that to her so she didn't ask. It was...nice to have something in common with Winn.

The noise quieted down significantly after she put in the earplugs and she sighed in relief. James tilted his head towards a booth and she waited until Winn nodded before doing the same. James led them over to it and reluctantly let go of Winn as he sat across from them.

"I don't think I've been here before," Winn looked around. "Whenever Alex drags me out we usually hit up this alien bar. That's where I met -" he cut himself off looking startled and rubbed his wrist ruefully. "Never mind."

"What was their name?" Kara asked quietly. She didn't want to ruin their night together but she was curious and, according to Alex, Winn was refusing to talk to anyone about the incident and it simply wasn't healthy.

Winn sighed, apparently sensing that he wasn't going to get out of this. "Lyra Strayd," he said quietly. "She was a Valerian. She had a bit of an...anger control problem? I always seemed to push her buttons and make her angry. I mean, I'm not the easiest person to live with, I get that."

"That's no excuse," James said firmly.

Winn peered at him dubiously. "That's what Hank and Alex said. But, long story short, I, uh, she, uh, she was throwing stuff so I tried to slip out but she, uh, she shoved me down the stairs. Luckily I caught hold of the banister halfway down. Hank had her arrested and now she's in a DEO facility in Canada."

He tried to look nonchalant but wasn't very successful. Impulsively Kara reached across the table and grabbed his hands. "I can go blast her with my heat vision if you want," she offered.

"I can take some unflattering pictures and post them online," James added.

Winn laughed and grinned at them. "I appreciate the offers," he said. "Hank won't let you near her though. Alex tried to go "talk" to her but he shipped Lyra out before she could. Something about not letting personal feelings get in the way."

"Probably a good idea," Kara was forced to agree. While she would have loved to give the other woman a piece of her mind it was clear that Winn still cared for her and would be devastated if anything happened to her. He seemed way too forgiving in her humble opinion.

"So, what kind of hot wings do you want?" James asked as the waitress headed towards them.

Winn looked grateful for the subject change. "Do they have honey barbecue?" He asked eagerly, pulling his hands free from Kara's grasp so he could look at the menu.

"I believe so," James consulted the menu. "Yep, here they are. The fries are really good too."

"Unfortunately they don't have any potstickers," Kara said mournfully.

"Her favorite food," James rolled his eyes fondly. "She can eat fifty of them in one sitting."

"I'd hate to see your grocery bill," Winn said jokingly.

Kara and James both winced. "It's a little steep," Kara sheepishly admitted. "Especially since I started using my powers more." She wasn't going to lie, the fact that the DEO had offered her a salary was fantastic and had been a deciding factor. Last month they had actually been forced to take out a loan to cover their grocery bill.

Winn nodded thoughtfully. "I imagine using your powers causes you to metabolize food more quickly. It would be interesting to see which foods last longer in your system," he mused. "Maybe Alex could run a study on that…"

Kara made a face. "You find that interesting?"

"Not really," Winn shrugged. "I'm a tech guy, people aren't really my thing but it might be a little cool. If you knew what foods lasted longer then you could focus on mainly eating that and you might not have to buy so much food."

"He has a point," James said. "Our refrigerator might appreciate it too."

"I'll ask her Monday," Winn promised. He winced as a particularly horrible singer took the stage. "Someone needs to invent earplugs that drown out stuff like that," he grumbled.

"Agreed," Kara barely managed to mask her wince while James made no effort to. "I hope you don't sound like that," she commented. 

"Oh come on," Winn whined. "I'm not very good at singing. Besides, James said I didn't have to."

Kara glared at her other soulmate who laughed nervously. 

"I said I would  _ try _ to get you out of singing," James corrected.

Winn stuck his tongue out and Kara giggled. "We can sing a duet," she offered. "Ooh or all three of us could go up there! I know there's a few songs out there that require more than two singers."

"We could do that," James agreed. "She loves karaoke."

"I hadn't noticed," Winn said dryly. "Fine, I'll sing but only after I eat."

"Sounds like a plan," Kara grinned.

* * *

To Winn's surprise (and private delight) he actually had a good time that night. Kara and James had regaled him with stories of their childhood and first meeting over hot wings and in return he shared funny stories about the DEO. 

Getting up on stage and singing hadn't gone as badly as he feared but that was mostly because Kara had insisted on going with him. She and James had looked at him in awe once they were done and he pretended that he wasn't blushing. Instead, he told them about how one of his teachers had tried to get him to sign up for the singing club but he had refused, not wanting to be in the spotlight. 

Thankfully they hadn't asked why he wanted to stay out of the spotlight. No doubt they thought he was just shy (he was) but as long as they didn't know the truth things would be all right. He wasn't a fool, he knew that sooner or later he would have to tell them the truth but he wanted to delay it as much as humanly possible. 

After they were done singing they ordered another round of hot wings and beer. The conversation flowed easily, much to Winn's surprise. He wasn't the best conversationalist but Kara and James hung onto his every word. It was...nice. He couldn't remember the last time someone other than Alex and Hank had paid this much attention to him.

Winn felt oddly important, leaning across the table as he described one of his first inventions during his early days at the DEO. True, he doubted they understood much of what he was saying but they still seemed interested. 

"So, let me get this straight. You used chewing gum, a cold capsule and some kind of special dirt to make a bomb?" James looked a little skeptical yet curious at the same time.

"Yep," Winn nodded, downing the rest of his beer. He was feeling a little, okay a  _ lot _ , buzzed and that loosened his lips more than a little bit. "I've always been good with bombs, ever since I was little. Oops," he blinked once he realized what he said. "I shouldn't have said that. Can we pretend I didn't say that? I didn't mean to say that."

James was frowning, a concerned look on his face. "Why shouldn't you have said that?" He asked gently.

"Because you're not supposed to know. If you know then you won't like me anymore. I really need to stop drinking now."

"We could never stop liking you," Kara said, reaching for his hands but he pulled away.

"Lyra was blond," he blurted out. "I don't know why I said that. I know you're not Lyra."

"I think you've had too much to drink," James carefully leaned across the table and pulled the bottle away from Winn. "We should probably get you home."

"No, no," Winn protested. "That's-that's too much trouble. I don't want to be a bother."

"Then you can crash on our couch," Kara decided.

They wanted him to go home with them? No, no that was a bad idea. That would mean sex and they'd turn out to be like everyone else and…

"You can sleep on the couch," Kara reiterated. "We will sleep in our bed. No sex."

Winn looked at her suspiciously, or rather he  _ tried _ to look at her but the world was spinning so he just nodded, not having the energy to fight.

"Come on," Kara gently wrapped an arm around him, James leaning a bit on her other side. "I knew we should have driven," she grumbled. 


	5. Chapter 5

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The morning after...everyone but Kara has a hangover and they learn more about each other's childhoods

When James woke up it was morning. Sunlight was streaming through the windows and he groaned, burying his head under the pillow. He hadn't even had as much to drink the night before as Winn had.

At the thought of Winn he sat straight up, clutching his head as he did so. He was pretty sure Winn had come home with them and he decided to get up and look for him. James managed to stand up and stagger out of the bedroom.

Winn was indeed there, sleeping on the couch, his hair the only part of him visible under their collection of fluffy blankets. James vaguely remembered trying to help get his shoes off but everything was fuzzy after that.

After wandering into the kitchen James found a note on the refrigerator from Kara, saying that she had gone to grab coffee and breakfast. Good. James was starving.

By the time he got back to the living room Winn was starting to stir, grunting and grumbling as he finally managed to sit up. His hair was messier than usual and he looked rather miserable.

"Morning, sleeping beauty," James teased.

Winn glowered at him and grunted something that probably wasn't very flattering. He appeared disoriented and seemed to be searching for something. 

"Everything should be in that chair," James pointed.

Winn squinted at the armchair which held his cardigan, shoes, phone, keys and wallet. He shrugged and turned his attention back to James. "Coffee?" His voice was groggy yet hopeful.

"Kara's out getting some," James told him. "She should be back soon. Do you want something for the headache? We've got Tylenol."

Winn shook his head. "It doesn't mix well with my other meds," he yawned. "Sorry about crashing here last night. I shouldn't have drank so much."

"It's fine," James assured him. "It was no bother." The two sat in silence for a moment before James spoke again. "I had a great time last night. Thanks for coming."

"Thanks for inviting me. But, yeah, I, uh, I had a great time too."

"You're more than welcome to come next time," James told him. "I mean, you're welcome to come over here whenever you want too. You're our soulmate, we want to get to know you better."

"Even without the sex?"

"Yes," James confirmed. "Sex shouldn't be the basis for a relationship. Yeah, it's nice but, honestly, I'm just as happy cuddling with Kara as I am having sex with her."

Winn let out a noncommittal hum and began looking around the room. "Your place looks nicer than mine. But I imagine you don't survive solely on takeout and curry."

"Kara and I take turns cooking but she cheats. Whenever it's her turn to cook she just uses her heat vision."

Winn laughed then winced and held his head. "Not a good idea," he moaned.

It was then that the door opened and Kara stepped in, somehow balancing a bag of food and a drink carrier. "Hey, guys," a smile spread across her face. The sound of her far too chipper voice elicited another groan from Winn. "I'm so sorry!" Kara rushed forward and thrust one of the coffees at him. "The girl said it was your usual. The sea salt caramel frappe with no whip and extra drizzle?"

Winn didn't say anything as he took a long drink then smiled up at her. "It's perfect. Do you have any lemon pound cake?" He asked hopefully. 

"Yes," Kara nodded as she sat the bag down and began going through it. "I got you two of the mini ones and a brownie. James, here's your blueberry muffins and your latte."

"Thank you," James eagerly accepted the items and sighed happily as the caffeine hit his system. 

"And my chocolate chip muffins," she said happily and perched on the arm of James's chair, leaning against him.

The three ate in silence but it was a comfortable one. Winn looked more awake as he tried finger combing his hair in-between bites and James felt his own headache slipping away.

"I can loan you a brush," Kara offered. "It's pink though."

"That would be nice," Winn admitted, looking surprised. "I keep one in my messenger bag but I left that in my van. It should still be at the club. I think."

"We didn't move it," James told him, "so it should still be there. The club has really good security so you shouldn't have to worry about it. We can drive you there later to get it."

"I can walk," Winn tried to protest.

"That doesn't mean you have to," Kara frowned at him. "It's no trouble, really."

"Thank you," Winn said quietly, playing with his watch.

"Winn," James leaned forward and waited until Winn looked at him before continuing. "I don't know who made you think taking care of you is such a burden but it's not. You're a person and like everyone else you deserve to be taken care of. Especially because you're our soulmate."

Winn scrubbed a hand across his eyes and James exchanged panicked glances with Kara. Evidently there was more baggage to deal with than they had originally thought. Boy, did he want to meet some of the people Winn had encountered in his life and yell at them. Maybe even throw a punch or two,  _ that _ might make him feel better.

"I'm fine," Winn muttered, his voice only a little shaky. "I, I should go," he eyed the door eagerly.

"If that's what you want," James was a little disappointed but he didn't want to make Winn any more uncomfortable than he already was.

"We'll drive you," Kara hopped off her seat. "Well, James will drive you. I never really got the hang of driving."

"Yeah the insurance company threatened to cancel our coverage if I didn't take her off," James stood up as well and went to grab his keys from the hook next to the door.

Winn's lips quirked in a small smile as he grabbed his stuff, putting his shoes and cardigan back on. "I taught myself how to drive when I was sixteen. I read a manual and watched a lot of YouTube videos," he admitted. "Real life was more difficult than I thought."

James wondered why no one had taught Winn then decided he didn't want to know. "One of my uncles taught me when I was thirteen. He would take me on the back roads and let me practice when no one was around. My aunt didn't approve so she made me help weed the garden so she wouldn't tell my mom."

"My aunt taught science at a local college. Whenever we went to visit her she would always give me college textbooks to read so I wouldn't bug her," Winn followed them into the hallway. "It backfired though because I kept asking for more to read since it didn't take me long to finish one. I think I still have one actually."

"Eliza just sent us outside if she wanted us out of her hair," Kara spoke.

"That wasn't really an option," Winn confessed. "I'm allergic to four different types of grass so I had to be careful how much time I spent outside. Which was fine with me because I preferred staying inside reading or watching TV."

"That has to suck," James winced. "I always loved going outdoors. My dad and I would play catch or football almost every night."

"Mother made me go to council meetings one day a week so I could get a feel for it," Kara said wistfully. "She refused to step down from her position as leader until she knew I was ready. But weekends were the best, Aunt Astra usually came over and the three of us would play games. Sometimes Father would even join us or we would go to visit his brother, Kal-El's father."

It wasn't until after they had gotten in the car that Winn spoke. "My dad was an inventor, he was always working on new projects. If he didn't have to work we usually stayed in his workshop and I would help him make stuff. But Friday night was usually movie night. He liked sci-fi movies so we watched a lot of those."

"So that explains all those Star Trek toys on your desk," Kara teased.

"Adult collectibles," Winn corrected. "Most of them are at my apartment anyways. The ones at work aren't worth anything."

"At least your boss lets you personalize your workspace," James grumbled. "Cat lets us have one personal item and that's it."

"At least she calls you by your name," Kara growled. "I'm still "Kira"."

Winn sniggered. "As long as I'm "Winn" and not "Winslow" I'm happy. Hank only calls me that when he's mad at me. Last time it was because I accidentally blew up a computer when I was trying to make some upgrades. But that's what happens when people come barging into my lab and scare the shit out of me. Namely your sister. She did apologize though and got me some coffee and bandaged my face so I didn't have to go to the medbay."

"That was nice of her," Kara said. "She's good at barging in unannounced. She did it all the time while we were growing up. It backfired on her a few times though," she chuckled.

"The benefits of having a lock," James smirked as he pulled into the parking lot.

Winn rolled his eyes. "I was lucky if I didn't get locked in my room," he sighed. "Or the closet," he added. "I hated the closet…"

His voice trailed off when he realized that both James and Kara were staring at him in horror. 

"I, uh, I need to go," he fumbled with the handle for a moment before managing to open the door. "Thanks for the ride," he said before fleeing.

"Don't cry," James warned as Kara started to sniffle. "At least wait until he's gone before you do that."

"In what universe does a child get locked in a closet?" Kara demanded, her eyes glowing red.

"In the same universe where he got pushed down the stairs," James countered. "He hasn't had it easy, Kara, we knew that going into this. But I'm warning you, I don't think he'll handle it very well if you start pitying him or treating him differently. We haven't known him long but I don't want to lose him and I know you don't either."

"I don't," Kara took a deep breath and tried to calm herself. "I still want to beat someone up though."

"Something tells me we'd have to wait in line behind his boss and Alex," James waited until Winn's van left the parking lot before heading back to their apartment. 

"I'll text him later," Kara decided. "I won't act like anything's different."

"Probably a good idea," James agreed. "Maybe see if he wants to get coffee in the morning?" He suggested. "Or lunch if he wants to sleep in."

  
  


Winn was low key panicking by the time he got home. He had let something slip yet again. For some odd reason, when he was around them, it felt like his defenses were down, like he could tell them his deepest, darkest secrets and they wouldn't judge him.

Maybe it was because they were his soulmates or because Alex and Hank (to a slight degree) trusted them. He wanted to, he wanted to trust them with everything but he couldn't. At least, not yet anyways. Maybe one day he could but until then he would take baby steps. His phone dinged and he eyed it warily then checked his messages. It was from Kara this time.

_ Just checking to make sure you made it home safely. _

_ Yeah. What about you? _

_ We made it too. We were wondering if you wanted to have coffee in the morning? Maybe lunch?  _

Winn hesitated before typing a reply.

_ I have plans in the morning. I, uh, I'm going to see X-Men at the dollar theater tomorrow afternoon if you want to go with me. If not that's totally fine. _

_ Sure, that sounds great! _


	6. Chapter 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The three go on another date and Winn Jason a talk with Hank.

"So how was the karaoke bar?" Hank,  _ J'onn  _ asked.

"So-so," Winn waved his left hand. "It was good until I got drunk and started talking about bombs and Lyra. It's kind of a blur after that."

"I trust they took you home?" J'onn raised an eyebrow. 

"Sort of. They let me crash on their couch then took me to pick my van up," Winn winced as his left wrist reminded him that it was still injured. He sighed and tried cutting his pancakes with one hand.

"Here," J'onn stole his plate long enough to cut his food up then returned it. "At least they didn't try anything while you were out of it."

"True," Winn acknowledged. "But then I got too comfortable and started talking about my childhood."

J'onn raised both eyebrows this time. "And what is wrong with that? I understand you're worried about how they'll react to your father but they're going to find out sooner or later."

"I know, I know. I just, I just don't want things to stop. I like the way things are going right now. If they find out the truth then, then they might not want anything to do with me anymore and I, I don't think I can handle that," he confessed.

J'onn's gaze was incredibly kind as he said, "I understand that you're scared, Winn, and there's nothing wrong with that but you can't live the rest of your life in fear. You don't have to tell them everything right now but at least tell them something."

"I'm not telling them about my mom," Winn decided. "I-I can't deal with that too. I'll at least tell them my dad's in jail. Well, my human dad," he grinned. "My Space Dad is perfectly fine."

J'onn rolled his eyes fondly. "That I am. I would like to officially meet your soulmates. Perhaps dinner on Monday? I can invite Alex if it would make things less awkward."

"I'll ask. We're going to the movies this afternoon."

"Sounds fun. Let me guess: X-Men again?"

Winn grinned. "It's an epic movie," he protested. "Besides I've only seen it twelve times this year."

"Only," J'onn muttered.

* * *

The theater was a little farther away than the bar so they drove there. Kara was excited that Winn had invited them to do something even if it wasn't one of her favorite movies. James wasn't overly enthused either but they were determined to do something that made Winn happy the way karaoke did Kara. James was already planning to see if Winn would be willing to do a little modeling so he could add his photos to their wall.

In addition to working at CatCo James had his own private photography business and occasionally did work in order to help out with the bills and because he missed working with a camera. Kara played assistant every so often and was good at finding affordable venues. The only thing the two of them couldn't do was balance the books very well but Kara hoped Winn could help them out with that.

As before Winn was already waiting for them, tickets in hand when they caught up with him.

"You didn't have to buy the tickets," James protested.

"You paid for my food and drinks the other night," Winn pointed out. "So it's only fair that I buy the tickets today. Besides, this is a discount theater. I spent less than ten bucks on all three tickets. And if you don't complain I'll buy you guys popcorn too."

Kara's eyes lit up at the thought of popcorn. "We'll take you up on that," she insisted, grabbing James's elbow. She held out her hand and was pleasantly surprised when Winn took it. "And a drink?" She asked hopefully. 

"Sure," Winn agreed.

Five buckets of popcorn and three drinks later Kara found herself situated between James and Winn in the dark theater. The previews were interesting and they made tentative plans to go see at least two of the movies, the boys groaning when she picked out a romantic comedy.

The movie wasn't as boring as Kara had feared but that was mostly because Winn kept up a running commentary about how certain things were unrealistic or the improvements he would have made to their tech and wardrobes.

"See," she pointed out as they left the theater. "Storm has a cape and it looks good on her."

"He gave you a cape," James reminded her. "I assume she's your favorite character?"

"Nope," Kara shook her head "Mystique. Yeah she's a villain but she's fighting for what she believes in and she has trouble fitting in sometimes too." She turned to their other soulmate who was oddly quiet. "Who's your favorite character?"

"Rogue," he said at last. "I would say Magneto but he reminds me a little too much of my dad. Especially with the whole going to jail thing."

"Your dad's in jail?" James asked.

Winn bit his lip and nodded. "Uh, yeah. He went two days after my eleventh birthday."

Kara recalled the times Winn had mentioned knowing other couples and came to a realization. "You were in foster care," she said suddenly.

"Unfortunately," Winn sighed. "For five very long years. I was lucky enough to get legally emancipated at sixteen."

"You weren't treated well," Kara couldn't stop the sadness from leaking into her voice. She knew she had an overly romantic view of the foster system but it was finally hitting her just how lucky she had been. She couldn't even begin to imagine how awful it must have been for Winn. The hints he had dropped chilled her to the bone and she impulsively wrapped him in a hug. "I'm sorry we weren't there to protect you."

"You're here now," Winn's voice was a little muffled but he slowly returned the hug.

"We are," James agreed as he put a hand on Winn's shoulder, probably not wanting to overwhelm him.

After a few moments Kara reluctantly let him go. "Let's go do something fun," she blurted out. "We can fly kites," she suggested. 

James raised an eyebrow. "Kites," he repeated. 

"Uh-huh," she nodded eagerly then turned to Winn.

"Kites, uh, actually sound kind of fun," he admitted.

James just shook his head in amusement. "Kites it is then."

* * *

Any embarrassment James may have felt about flying kites quickly evaporated upon seeing how happy his soulmates were. Kara and Winn were giggling as they raced each other, trying to see who's kites could fly the highest.

Their faces were practically glowing as they ran, calling out to James to join them. He did, of course, eventually but only after taking several pictures of them.

It was starting to get dark when they finally stopped. Winn had won their little contest and was very smug about the whole thing. This, in turn, prompted Kara to stick her tongue out at him while James snapped another picture.

"Oh, uh, Hank he, uh, he wants to meet the two of you," Winn was leaning against his van, trying to look casual.

"We'd like to meet him too," James told him. It was true, they wanted to meet Winn's family, his  _ real _ family.

"He told me to invite you over for dinner tomorrow. If you're not busy," he added hastily.

James took a minute to mentally go over their plans for the next week. "Tomorrow night sounds good," he confirmed. Something occurred to him and he turned to Kara. "Cat doesn't have any plans, right?"

"Not that I know of," Kara sighed. "That doesn't mean she won't but she can live without me for a few hours."

"I don't want you to get in trouble," Winn frowned. "We can always reschedule."

"No," Kara said firmly. "Hank is obviously very important to you and we want to meet him. Since this obviously didn't seem to sink in yesterday let me reiterate: you're our soulmate and very important to us. We want you to be happy even if it means inconveniencing ourselves. Besides, Ms. Grant is always mad at me about something."

"She's right about that," James agreed. "Want to grab a bite to eat before we go home? I noticed a diner not far from here."

Winn shrugged. "Sure."

* * *

All in all it had been a pretty good day in Winn's opinion. Dinner had been a pleasant affair and he had enjoyed laughing at the look on the waitress's face when Kara had eaten three helpings of spaghetti. James hadn't been as thrilled when he saw the bill but Winn had paid for dinner before he had time to argue. He should probably warn J'onn though so he knew to cook plenty.

They hadn't touched on any deep topics, instead conversing about random things like favorite movies, colors, etc. He had made note of their favorites and mentally cataloged them for later. Now he had an idea of what to do for future...get-togethers and things like birthdays. 

J'onn and Alex would no doubt refer to them as dates but Winn didn't think he was quite ready for that just yet. Maybe one day but not right now. He had never had good luck dating and he was afraid of jinxing things.

Winn smiled when his phone dinged and he got the pictures James had taken of them earlier. Maybe...maybe it would be okay to print them out and frame them. That couldn't hurt anything. Besides, he had some empty frames somewhere on the kitchen table, he was pretty sure of that.

Unfortunately that meant cleaning off the table so he could find them. He groaned at the thought, half tempted to call his soulmates to come over and help him.

No. That would be too much trouble. They had been together all afternoon, surely they were tired of dealing with him for one day. But what if they weren't? What if they wanted to spend more time with him? What if...

Winn groaned and pressed his hands against his head. He wished his brain would just shut up and leave him alone! Maybe he should work on an invention or write a new computer program. Something, anything to take his mind off his soulmates.

As if that was even possible. 

* * *

"So how was the date?" Alex wanted to know.

Kara was still floating on cloud nine as she began to gush about the day. "It was awesome. We saw a movie and we flew kites then we had dinner before going home."

"Uh-huh," Alex sounded amused. "Let me guess, the kites were your idea. Did Winn enjoy himself too?"

"Yes," James cut in. "He seemed very happy."

"He mentioned his dad," Kara frowned.

"He told you about his dad?" Alex sounded shocked and was no doubt sitting straight up after that little tidbit.

"Just a little," Kara told her. "I know he's in jail but that's all."

Alex sighed heavily. "I'm surprised he even told you that much. Honestly, I wouldn't even know what I do if I hadn't seen his file. He hasn't had it easy, Kara. For his sake I certainly hope things work out between you three."

"It must be killing you not being able to use the "big sister" talk on us and him," James snarked. 

"Bite me," Alex retorted. "But you're right. I kind of adopted Winn too so I can't threaten him but I can't threaten you guys either so I'm at a loss here. But it's okay because Hank can threaten you guys for me tomorrow."

James made a face. "I forgot about that," he admitted.

"I bet Hank hasn't," Alex said in a song-song voice. "Trust me, he'll more than make up for the fact that I can't threaten you."

"I changed my mind," James sighed after Alex had hung up. "I don't want to go to dinner tomorrow."

"Hey," Kara lightly smacked his arm. "We're going. Besides I had to take you to meet Eliza so it's only fair that we go meet Hank. He didn't seem so bad when I saw him at work the other day."

"We're also dating his adopted son that just got out of an abusive relationship," James reminded her.

"We're screwed," Kara groaned.


	7. Chapter 7

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara and James officially meet Hank/ J'onn for the first time. More Papa Bear-

Kara wasn't sure what she was expecting when the door to Hank's apartment opened but it wasn't seeing Hank standing there wearing a "Kiss the Cook" apron.

"It was a gag gift," he said stiffly. "You must be James."

"It's a pleasure to meet you," James held his hand out and after a long second Hank took it. His grip was extremely strong and had James wincing after it was released.

"Kara," Hank shook her hand as well then stepped aside so they could enter.

Winn and Alex were already there, Alex was on the couch while Winn scurried around, setting the table.

"Calm down," Alex sounded only mildly irritated. "It doesn't have to be perfect you know. Hey, Kara." She waved at her sister and Kara waved back.

Winn spun around and grinned when he saw them. "You guys made it," he sounded surprised yet delighted. 

"We wouldn't miss it," Kara declared as she gave him a quick hug.

"Anything for you," James opted for a quick squeeze of Winn's shoulder. 

Winn blushed and Alex shook her head fondly. Hank had a small frown on his face but it vanished when Winn turned to look at him.

"Do you need any help?" He asked. "I set the table but if you want me to do something else I can."

Hank shook his head. "I can handle the rest. You four chat, the food will be done in a few minutes." He disappeared into the kitchen and Kara could hear the sound of pots and pans rattling. 

"Sit," Alex patted the seat next to her. "See if you can calm your soulmate down. He's been jittery for the past hour."

"I have not," Winn protested. Alex raised an eyebrow and he folded. "Maybe a little," he mumbled. "Hank already made me take one of my anxiety pills so it should be kicking in soon."

"That's good," Kara smiled at him as she sat next to Alex. "How was work today? Did Demos screw up again?"

Winn groaned loudly and James smirked. "Sounds like a yes to me," he remarked.

"He crashed the computer system for an hour. I literally had to go in and rewrite the system code just to keep the prisoners from escaping and so we could enter the bathrooms again. What?" He asked when he realized that all of them were staring at him. "I really had to go."

"After an hour I think everybody did except for Vasquez," Alex commented. "She got locked in the bathroom."

"Did Demos get fired?" James asked. If something like that had happened at CatCo they probably would have been thrown out the window then blacklisted.

Winn sighed. "No but I did have him moved to a different section and restricted his computer access for now. He's good at a lot of things but computer code isn't one of them."

"And he has to attend computer classes, run by your soulmate. I don't envy him," Alex said. "Winn is a gentle pushover most of the time but not when it comes to his computers."

"Hey the tech is expensive and Hank would have my head if he had to replace anything."

"I certainly would," Hank called from the kitchen. 

"Why is he even in your section?" James asked. "If he's so terrible at it."

Winn sighed again. "Every section must have at least three DEO operatives that are fully trained in case of a security breach. Demos wasn't as bad as some of the others so I said I would take him. He's better than Vasquez who shot out two computers when we tried to use her."

"That was funny," Alex added. "Winn was cussing up a storm then Hank yelled at her then I got to do it too."

"I take it she's not allowed to use them now, is she?" Kara asked.

"Definitely not," Hank emerged from the kitchen, carrying a platter of ribs in each hand. "And she had to pay for the equipment she destroyed."

"DEO policy," Alex smirked. "But if you piss Winn off badly enough you won't be allowed to use the computers regardless of how capable you are."

"I have enough to handle without having to deal with an infuriated technician," Hank added before going back into the kitchen.

"Aw c'mon, he can't be that bad," James said. "Can he?"

"It would take me all of five minutes to ruin you just using my phone," Winn waved the piece of technology. "I could ruin your credit score, make up a bogus criminal history, hack your social media...there's a lot of ways to destroy people these days."

James eyed their soulmate warily. "Please tell us if we ever make you that mad."

"Please," Kara added. "My credit score is bad enough right now and I don't really have a social media presence."

"Oh I know," Winn grinned. "I looked into you a few years ago. Every so often we do a full review of an agent and their family and it was Alex's turn so I looked into your entire family."

"It was interesting when it was his turn," Alex grinned. "He was really the only person qualified to do the review so Hank and I had to babysit him while he did it."

"Really awkward," Winn nodded.

"Dinner is ready," Hank announced as he put some homemade fries on the table. "Drinks are in the refrigerator, please feel free to help yourselves but leave the bottle of red wine alone."

"Got a date?" Winn teased as he headed toward the kitchen.

"That's classified," Hank was glaring but his eyes were soft. 

"He totally has a date," Winn stage whispered to Alex who shook her head.

"That would require him having a life," she joked.

"True," Winn agreed. "And we all know Space Dad doesn't have one."

"Keep it up and you'll start working weekends," Hank called as the two disappeared into the kitchen. The moment they disappeared Hank turned to James and Kara, his eyes narrowing.

Kara could bend steel, could catch an airplane but Hank unnerved her. She wasn't afraid to admit that.

Hank reached in his pocket and casually pulled out a knife with a green blade and black handle. "This is my favorite knife," he said conversationally. "It's made out of Kryptonite and can easily be used to carve your heart out," he looked directly at Kara before turning to James. "It should work on you as well if necessary. I trust you understand what I'm saying here."

"Absolutely," Kara squeaked as she and James nodded fervently. 

"Are you threatening them?" Winn asked suspiciously as he and Alex came back in, beers in hand.

"Of course not," Hank lied. "We were discussing the weather." He quickly put the knife back in his pocket, throwing the two a last cold look before turning to face Winn and Alex.

"Uh-huh," Winn sounded skeptical. "Whatever you say, Papa Bear."

Despite the threat of imminent death hanging over their heads James and Kara found themselves enjoying the evening. Hank's food was delicious and he was gracious enough to let Kara have an entire platter of ribs to herself. 

To Kara's delight Hank seemed to warm up to them over dinner. He still sent them a few glares but actually referred to them by name a couple of times.

"Your new suit looks much better," Hank commented. "Even if it now means I have to wait on our new body armor," he glowered at Winn.

"What?" Winn protested. "You actually expected me to let one of my soulmates run around in that stupid costume? I've seen better on Halloween!"

"You've worn better on Halloween," Alex pointed out. "He went as Superman last year. I have pictures somewhere."

"As do I," Hank chimed in. "I also have pictures of Alex as Wonder Woman."

Kara giggled. "I thought you didn't dress up for Halloween anymore."

"She owed me a favor," Winn said smugly. "I have pictures of both of them in costume. We got Hank to dress up as Batman."

Hank pointed a finger at him. "Show those to anyone and you will never have a day off again."

"I thought you destroyed those," Alex added. "You said you did anyway."

Winn raised an eyebrow. "And you believed me why? I kept copies and they're safely stored away in my hard drive somewhere you can't find them."

"I want to see them," James leaned forward.

"We'll see," Winn said cryptically. "But I expect embarrassing pictures in return."

"Don't even think about it," Kara warned. "If my prom photos wind up on the internet I will kill both of you."

"I'll give you to them later," James winked. "Much later."

"I have pictures too," Kara hissed. "An entire album of them."

"The benefits of foster care," Winn sighed. "No albums of embarrassing pictures to be threatened with."

"You forget I'm a secret agent," Hank reminded him. "It took me some doing but I finally managed to track down a good portion of them. I haven't gotten around to putting them in an album yet but I do have them."

Winn froze, his fork halfway to his mouth. "You-you looked for them?"

"Of course," Hank looked mildly affronted. "You're the closest thing I have to a son, it's only right I do what other good parents do. I even managed to track down your baby books. Those were very difficult to get, let me assure you."

"Winn?" Kara was getting worried. Her soulmate was rubbing his eyes now, tears shining. "Are you okay?"

"I'm great," he finally managed to say. "Thank you so much."

Hank stood up and hugged Winn. "Like I said, I'm your father and that means I have to have ammunition to embarrass you one day."

"You could never embarrass me," Winn sniffed. "You're the best Space Dad ever."

Kara's heart melted on the spot. Winn looked so happy at that moment that she never wanted it to end. In that moment, in Hank's apartment everything was perfect.

* * *

"I will need to conduct more observation but so far everything seems to be going well," Hank informed James and Kara as they got ready to leave. "See that it continues to do so."

"Of course," James nodded. "We'll do our best to take care of him, I promise."

"Hmm," Hank grunted. "See that you do." He closed the door behind them, just barely avoiding hitting James's hand.

"You didn't have to do that," Winn chided. He was curled up on the couch, stifling a yawn. Alex had left a few hours earlier, presumably to meet with some of the other DEO agents at the bar.

"No but I wanted to," J'onn smirked as he shifted back to his normal form. "They're so eager to make you happy that they're willing to put up with me even when I'm being an ass."

"You really think so?" Winn asked hopefully. 

"I know so. They truly care for you, Winn. They want this to work just as much as you do. I believe you can trust them, with  _ everything _ ," he added sternly.

"I know," Winn was looking at his fingers as he played with them. "I-I'm trying."

"I know," J'onn's voice was gentle as he sat next to him. "I'm very proud of you, Winn, I hope you know that."

"I do," Winn didn't hesitate to answer. "And I appreciate you doing this for me. I know you don't like a lot of people over at once."

"Not a problem," J'onn assured him. "It's getting late, do you want to stay here tonight or go home?"

Winn glanced at his watch, his eyes widening. "I think I'll crash in the guest room tonight. I should still have a change of clothes here."

"You do," J'onn confirmed. "Help me clean up then you can go to bed."

"Joy," Winn groaned as he stood up. "Chores. My least favorite activity."

"I cooked," J'onn reminded him. "It's only fair that you clean. I would have made Alex help but she scares even me sometimes."

Winn cackled. "It's what makes her such a great big sister."


	8. Chapter 8

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> When the FBI show up to interrogate Winn they learn a few things about his family.

Kara was pleasantly surprised when Winn showed up at CatCo two days later, looking adorable in a green shirt and matching tie.

"No cardigan today?" She teased.

"Contrary to popular opinion I don't have an entire closet devoted to cardigans. I only have half a closet but I do need some new ones," he looked sheepish.

"Ooh shopping," Kara loved shopping. Nothing made her feel quite so good as buying a lot of stuff for only a small amount of money.

"I don't know what's going on but it's good to see you," James appeared, no doubt having seen them from his office. He gave Winn a one-armed hug, smiling when Winn returned the gesture. 

"Winn was talking about shopping," Kara said excitedly, laughing when James made a face.

"That sounds like something the two of you can do," James suggested. "And I can take lots of pictures when you get back?" He looked hopefully at Winn who nodded. 

"Did you want to do that right now?" Kara really hoped not. Ms. Grant really would fire her.

"No!" Winn looked mildly alarmed and for the first time Kara noticed the minute trembling in his hands. "I, um, I actually came because-"

That was the precise moment the elevator doors opened and several people in black suits stepped out.

"I'm Agent Chase with the FBI. We're here for Winslow Schott, Jr."

"Shit," Winn cursed, closing his eyes briefly before spinning around. "That's me," he sighed.

"Winn?" Kara could see that he was now shaking, his knuckles turning white as he clutched the strap on his messenger bag.

"What's going on?" James demanded as the FBI came closer.

"And you are?" The female agent sounded bored.

"We're his soulmates," Kara answered as she squeezed one of Winn's hands. "What do you want with him?"

If anything Agent Chase looked even more disdainful, her lips curling up in a sneer. "I'm surprised you found anyone willing to have you or do they even know about your father?"

Before they could say anything Winn sighed and asked, "Are we going to do this or do you want to trash talk me a little more?"

"Unfortunately I don't have the time. I assume there's a conference room that we can use." It wasn't a question but Kara nodded and pointed to a nearby room. She doubted even Ms. Grant would fight the FBI on this.

"Come along, Winslow," the agent ordered. "No one else," she said harshly as James stepped forward.

"Actually, um, a-according to section eighteen, paragraph twenty-seven of Addendum thirty-three one of my soulmates is allowed to accompany me." Sure Winn stuttered through the entire thing but Kara was still proud of him for making a stand.

"I'll go with him," James said firmly. "Maybe you should call Hank," he told Kara and she nodded, already reaching for her phone.

"Stop her," Agent Chase ordered and one of her lackeys pointed his gun at Kara, eliciting a squeak from both her and Winn. "I can't let you do that. For all I know you could be tipping him off. Seize their phones and shut down the building."

They were going to shut down CatCo? Oh, Ms. Grant would  _ not _ be happy to hear that.

"What makes you think you have the authority to do that?" Cat demanded as she stepped out of her office. "I don't care if you are the FBI or not, you're not shutting down my building and you're going to stop pointing that gun at my assistant. Kira, call whoever you need to. I'm going to take this agent down a peg or two." She then went back into her office, Agent Chase reluctantly following her.

Kara watched in awe as Cat proceeded to hand her phone to Agent Chase who then appeared to be getting a verbal smackdown, presumably from her boss. The gun lowered and Kara wasted no time in dialing Alex.

"Kara?" Alex sounded a bit confused.

"The FBI is at CatCo questioning Winn," she said quickly.

"On it," Alex said after a brief pause before hanging up.

Not even two minutes Agent Chase emerged, looking properly chastened. "If the three of you would come this way," she waved towards the empty conference room.

The three soulmates looked at each other then followed her in. Winn sat down but James and Kara stood directly behind him, their hands resting on his shoulders.

"I assume you've heard that your father escaped from prison this morning."

"He's not my father," Winn said quietly. "He stopped being that a long time ago when he killed six people."

Logically Kara had known that the reason Winn's father had gone to jail was probably very bad but it still chilled her to realize that he was either a mass murderer or a serial killer.

"Ah. So they didn't know," Agent Chase seemed pleased by the horrified looks on their faces. "You're welcome to leave if you want," she told them.

"No," James squeezed Winn's shoulder. "What his father did has nothing to do with Winn."

"Nothing that you do can change the fact that you're related," Agent Chase said. "Regardless I need to know if your father was working with anyone, someone he might go to for help. We need to know what his master plan is so we can take him down."

"You're going to kill him?" Kara was appalled. So what if he was a murderer? This was still a human being they were talking about.

"The last time the FBI confronted him three agents were killed," the agent looked very upset. "Including my father so forgive me if I don't have any pity left for either your soulmate or his father. Apples never fall far from the tree."

Winn flinched and Kara glowered at the agent.

"H-he didn't have any friends," Winn said quietly. "At least none that I know of. I'm not really the one you should be asking. I was  _ eleven _ , I didn't keep track of my dad's friends. Besides, most crazy people don't have friends and I'm pretty sure my dad killed at least two of his."

"Has your father tried to contact you in any manner?" She asked next.

Winn tensed and looked up at them, his eyes wide with an unspoken question. Kara nodded and he sighed before looking back at the agent. "I, uh, I found this in my van this morning." He reached into his messenger bag and pulled out a peculiar looking cloth figure with a string on its back. "I already checked, it's not a bomb."

"Forgive me if I don't take your word for it," she passed the toy to another agent. "Call the bomb squad, have them block off the area."

"He, uh, he wants me to meet him at the, uh, the arcade he used to take me too," Winn continued rambling. "I think he said three-thirty? At least that's when we went on the weekends-"

Agent Chase slapped her hands against the table, causing Winn to flinch. "I don't care about your childhood. What I do care about is catching your father. You're going to keep that appointment, do you understand me? You're going to go in and distract him while we apprehend him by any means necessary."

"No the hell he isn't." The door swung open and Hank stormed in, followed by Alex. 

"Who are you?" Agent Chase demanded, rising to her feet.

"Hank Henshaw, I'm also with the FBI but my clearance is significantly higher than yours." He handed over a badge and her face darkened as she read it.

"My apologies, Director. I'm merely trying to do my job," she said stiffly.

Hank raised an eyebrow. "By accusing a fellow agent of being involved with someone he hasn't spoken to in almost twenty years?"

The other agents looked at each other, obviously not having been given that information. Already they seemed slightly more uneasy.

"I'm taking over this case now," Hank continued, "so you can go. By the way your boss wants to speak with you. It seems he wasn't very thrilled about getting chewed out by Ms. Grant after the bomb squad tried to seal off the building again."

Kara allowed herself a smirk. It was so satisfying when someone who truly deserved it got chewed out by Ms. Grant. It couldn't have happened to a nicer person, of that she was sure.

The agent huffed and stormed out, followed by her entourage.

"Are you okay?" Hank asked and Winn shook his head. "Take him home," he ordered. "His place has better security. Let me see your phone so I can put in his address."

Kara wordlessly handed over her phone while James helped Winn to his feet. Their soulmate was pale and trembling, clutching at James for support, refusing to let go even after he was standing.

"Here," Hank handed her phone back. "I'll deal with Ms. Grant. I'll text you the code to his alarm just in case. I'll come by later, after we've dealt with this."

"Thank you," Kara said quietly before following James and Winn out.

Since James had to drive Kara took over the job of comforting Winn. She wrapped her arms around him, whispering comforting words into his ear. He didn't say anything, he just sat there and shook. Quite frankly, it was starting to scare her. Winn wasn't a quiet person, even if he did stutter and stammer through most of his words.

"It'll be okay," Kara told him as James parked the car. "Hank won't let them kill him."

"I-I don't know if I want that or-or not," Winn finally stammered. "I don't know and that's what's killing me."

"Shh," Kara smoothed his hair back. "There's nothing wrong with that. I bet you Hank wants nothing more than to kill him after everything he did to you but he won't because he knows that would hurt you. Whether you want to admit it or not he's still your father and a part of you will always love him."

"You wanna show us where your apartment is?" James asked. "Then we can watch a movie or something, take your mind off things."

"O-okay," Winn reluctantly got out of the car.

Kara's jaw dropped when she got a good look at the building. It was a fancy high-rise complete with a doorman and valet. It was the type of place she and James had always dreamt of living in but knew they could never afford.

James appeared to be in shock as well as the valet took their keys and went to park the car elsewhere. The doorman smiled at Winn but frowned at James and Kara when they attempted to enter.

"They're with me," Winn told him.

"Ah, yes," the doorman brightened. "You added them to your list a few days ago. My apologies. Have a wonderful day, Mr. Schott." He held the door open and the three stepped inside. 

The inside was even fancier, with polished marble floors and red carpets in the lobby. It had elevators along with stairs that appeared to be discreetly hidden and the mailboxes were in a separate room, behind locked doors.

"I'm on the top floor," Winn led them to an elevator. "Apartment one twenty."

Once they were in the elevator James wrapped his arm around Winn again, the smaller man leaning into him. Kara leaned into Winn, letting both of them give him a shoulder to lean on.

"You want to watch Star Wars?" James asked quietly. "I know it's your favorite."

Winn nodded but didn't say anything. He looked exhausted and Kara wondered if she would be lectured if she used her powers to scare Agent Chase. Probably. Maybe. It would be worth it though, after she had put poor Winn through the ringer and forced him to reveal things he obviously hadn't been ready to.

"Let me see your keys," Kara waited while he dug through his bag then took them, smiling at the Superman keyring. 

"We're on your floor," James guided Winn out of the elevator as Kara kept her eye out for his apartment. There were only a few doors, leading Kara to suspect that the rooms were far bigger than the one she had. 

"Found it," Kara said cheerfully as she held up the keyring. "Just let me figure out which key opens it. You have a lot on here."

Winn plucked one of the keys out and waited for her to unlock the door. She did only to be greeted by the sound of the security alarm going off.


	9. Chapter 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> James and Kara get a tour of Winn's place and learn something horrific about his childhood.

The first thing that Kara noticed as she opened the door was the security alarm, its steady beeping getting louder. Hastily she stepped inside and entered the code Hank had sent her. Thankfully it stopped just as James and Winn stepped in.

The inside was just as opulent as the outside. He had nice hardwood floors, a big, open living room and several mahogany bookcases. Action figures, no  _ adult collectibles, _ were sitting in various spots around the room. Takeout containers practically covered the coffee table and one end of the couch.

"Sorry about the mess, I wasn't expecting company," Winn's voice lacked his normal enthusiasm.

"No worries," James carefully steered Winn towards the couch. "It won't take us but a minute to clean it up."

"Or less," Kara grinned before using her super speed to clean everything up. Her soulmate seemed fond of Chinese and Thai mostly with a few pizza boxes mixed in. She happily bagged them up and took a quick peek in the fridge. There wasn't much in there, mostly coffee creamer and some leftover curry. "Looks like we'll be eating out tonight," she mused. The kitchen table was pretty much just a big pile of junk with no discernable order. She wanted to clean it too but held off, deciding that it would be Winn's decision about cleaning the table.

By the time she emerged from the kitchen the first movie was already playing and Winn was curled up against James, taking deep breaths as he tried to calm himself down. Kara sat down on his other side, tugging the blue blanket off the back of the couch and over them. She curled up next to Winn, trying to provide him some comfort.

Winn didn't talk until the movie was halfway over and when he did speak his voice was low as if he were afraid of the words that he was speaking. "He-he was a good dad," he said at last. "We spent a lot of time in his workshop, making toys. I helped design a few of them and if they sold well he would buy me something special like a video game or a movie that I wanted."

"So what happened?" James kept his voice low as well.

Winn shrugged helplessly. "He was quiet, kept to himself, didn't really have any friends. One day he just...exploded. His boss stole some of his designs and he just went nuts. He took one of my teddy bears and put a bomb in it then mailed it to his office. He killed the assistant and five other people but not the guy he was after."

"That had to hurt, knowing he didn't accomplish his goal," Kara commented.

Winn snorted. "Dad wasn't very good at thinking things through. Like leaving me a toy would make up for everything he put me through. The crappy foster homes, my scar," he rubbed his chin ruefully then noticed they were looking at him. "I didn't mean to say that," he sighed.

"You don't have to talk about it if you don't want to," Kara told him although she desperately wanted to know what he meant.

"You won't want to be with me when I tell you," he warned them. "You'll hate me like Agent Chase does and she has a really good reason."

"We could never hate you," James assured him, pressing a kiss to the side of Winn's head and getting a surprised blush. "Try us, I promise we'll do our best to prove you wrong."

Winn took a deep breath and nodded then started speaking. "I was six when my dad gave me a new toy. It was so cool. It was this little robot monkey that played music. Dad said I had an hour to "figure it out" and I didn't understand what he meant at first. The weird thing though, was that it made a ticking noise like a clock."

Kara blanched and desperately hoped this story wasn't going where she thought it was. A quick glance at James told her he was thinking the same thing.

"Eventually I got so fed up with the ticking noise that I threw it against the wall and it exploded. Part of its chest plate caught me on the chin and I had to get ten stitches. Dad was so disappointed in me for not disarming it. After awhile it became a game: he would put a bomb in one of my toys and hide it so I had to look for it before I could disarm it. If I was successful then on the weekends we would go to this abandoned field and detonate the bombs. We used to wrap them in balloons filled with confetti so it was always a colorful explosion."

Kara was having trouble digesting this new revelation. No wonder Hank hadn't wanted Winn going anywhere near his father. The man was definitely a psychopath. 

"When I got older he taught me how to build them and it wasn't long before I was better at it then he was. A lot of times we would build the bombs together but then, one day," his breath hitched and Kara squeezed his hand. She had a feeling what was going to happen next and she knew he was going to need all the support he could get.

"You helped him build the bomb," James finished. "The one that killed all those people, he tricked you into helping him build it."

"He-he didn't exactly trick me. I-I  _ wanted  _ to help him build it. I-I thought we were going to do a confetti bomb," Winn was crying now. "I didn't know! I didn't!"

"Hey it's okay," James soothed. "We know that you never wanted anybody to get hurt. Your dad tricked you into helping him. None of that is your fault."

"But what if I turn out to be like him? Everyone used to point out how alike we were and-and he's a genius like me and-and neither of us really have any friends and-"

"Winn," Kara cut him off, her voice gentle yet firm. "You are nothing like that man, that  _ monster. _ You were a  _ kid _ , you just wanted to spend time with your dad. You wanted to have fun, you couldn't have known what he planned to do with that bomb."

"I know you say he was a great dad but he didn't just wake up one day and snap," James added. "You were just too young to see the signs. And I promise, we won't let you snap and turn into that, okay? You're too good of a person and you're not alone. You have us and Hank and Alex. We'll always be here for you."

Winn buried his face in James's chest as he sobbed. Kara rubbed his back soothingly while James wrapped his arms even tighter. The three of them remained like that for several minutes until Winn's sobs finally tapered off.

"Are you okay?" Kara asked as she continued rubbing his back.

"I-I don't know," Winn hiccuped. "Maybe?"

"Some food might make you feel better," Kara suggested.

"Food sounds nice," Winn admitted sheepishly as his stomach growled. "There's some takeout menus in the kitchen."

"On it," Kara quickly found the menus and brought them back into the living room. "So we have a variety of choices: Thai, Chinese, Mexican, pizza, hamburgers…"

"Thai?" Winn asked hopefully. "They have potstickers."

James laughed and rolled his eyes. "I know what we're having," he joked as Kara's eyes widened.

"Potstickers? Oh that sounds so good," she all but squealed. "James?"

"Thai is fine," he grinned.

"I have their app on my phone," Winn managed to pull the device from his pocket without moving from James's embrace. "My usual should already be in the cart, just add what the two of you want. My payment info is on there so don't worry about it. Consider it a thank you for skipping work."

Kara frowned but decided that Winn had had a long enough day he didn't need another lecture on his self-worth. Instead she placed the order, leaving a sizable tip like Winn had requested. She idly wondered where Winn got this much money before concluding that the DEO probably paid him a lot more since he was above Kara's level.

"It should be here in about thirty minutes," she said, handing his phone back over.

"Thank you and thanks for staying with me. I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," James kissed the side of his head again. "It's not a hardship to be there for you when you need us."

"Plus we got to see your place," Kara added. "Thank we can get a tour later?"

"Sure," Winn grinned. "After we eat I'll show you everything."

"I can't wait," James said.

* * *

As promised, after lunch, Winn happily showed James and Kara his apartment.

"There's not much in here," he said as they entered the kitchen. "I'm not even sure if there's anything in the cupboards," his voice trailed off as he opened one of the cabinets. "I was right, there's nothing in here. Man, I need to go grocery shopping."

"Agreed," James said. "You're not very good at taking care of yourself, are you?"

"Not according to Hank and Alex," Winn sighed.

"It's okay," Kara said. "We'll take good care of you."

In James's humble opinion Winn was absolutely adorable when he blushed and he resolved to make him do that whenever possible. 

They had already seen the living room so Winn led them straight to the hallway. "This is my office," he explained. "Sort of. More like where my half-finished projects are and where my sewing machine is. No touching," he told Kara sternly but with a hint of a smile. 

The office was bigger than their bedroom. Piles of metal and fuses and wires were on a worktable while a fancy sewing machine and bolts of fabric were on the other worktable. The fabric looked shinier than normal fabric did and James wondered if this was the same fabric used to make Kara's costume.

"I'm going to need to see your clothes," Winn said. "I imagine you're going through a lot of buttons and I figured I could switch them out with snaps so you don't keep ruining your shirts. If that's okay. If not that's totally fine I just thought-"

"Sure," Kara said. "I can't really afford to keep replacing my clothes anyway. I'll bring them over this week. Maybe tomorrow? Or I can fly over and bring them over later today?"

"Whatever is easier for you," Winn shrugged.

"But snaps would be nice," Kara sighed.

"Cool," James grinned. "I can stop sewing buttons now. Cat was starting to complain about how the buttons weren't neat enough."

"I'm working on creating a dimensional subspace pocket where you can store your clothes so you don't have to worry about losing them and so you don't have to wear your costume under your clothes," he explained. "It's taking longer than I had originally anticipated but it should be completed in another week or so."

"Huh," James blinked. "That sounds cool. I don't suppose you could make a cell phone that can withstand super strength? She keeps breaking hers."

"Hmm," Winn rubbed his jaw thoughtfully. "I would have to run some tests of course but it shouldn't be that difficult. If you could come to the DEO in a day, probably two, I should have some materials for you to test." His eyes became unfocused as he started muttering to himself, absently grabbing a nearby notebook as he jotted down ideas. "Vibranium maybe? Or adamantium?"

"Can we see your room now?" Kara asked, gently poking Winn's shoulder.

"Huh?" Winn looked at her in confusion then nodded. "Sorry. My bad. This way."

His bedroom was the only room that really had anything overly personal. There were a few photos of Hank and Alex, an Indian couple and even one of an older version of Winn and a child.

"Is that you and your dad?" James asked gently.

"Yeah. I could never bring myself to throw it away," Winn admitted. "I know he's a bad guy but I still miss him sometimes. Is that bad?"

"No," James said. "It's perfectly normal."


	10. Chapter 10

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winn's dad is taken back into custody and he asks James and Kara a very important question

After the impromptu tour they settled back on the couch to keep watching Star Wars. Despite the terrible circumstances Winn found himself enjoying the presence of his soulmates. He was leaning against James, taking comfort in his warmth as Kara was on his other side.

He didn't want to move from his spot even though he knew he would have to eventually. They had just started the third one when Hank called. Winn's hands were shaking too badly to answer so Kara took the phone from him.

"Hello?" She asked, putting the phone on speaker. 

"Is Winn there?" He asked.

"I-I'm here," Winn stuttered. 

"He's back in custody," Hank informed them. "No one was injured and we stopped him from blowing up the Toy Convention. He wants to see you but I stopped that. He admitted to hiring one of his recently released prison buddies to track you down. He's back in custody as well and we're working on covering your tracks. I assume you'll take a look at things when you come back which isn't until the day after tomorrow."

"But-" Winn tried to protest.

"You're taking tomorrow off," Hank said firmly. "That's not up for debate."

"Fine," Winn sighed. "Thank you."

"No problem. I'll stop by tomorrow and see how you're doing. Take good care of him," Hank then proceeded to hang up.

"That's good news," Kara smiled at him. "Your dad's still alive and back in jail."

"Y-yeah," Winn swallowed. "I guess."

"What's wrong?" James frowned as he turned to look at Winn. 

"Nothing. I just...what's to stop him from escaping again? He killed three people this time. Next time he'll just kill even more. So, maybe, it-it would have been better if he, if he hadn't been brought in alive."

There was a scary moment when it occurred to him that that was something only a supervillain would say. This was it. This was when they would realize that he was turning out like his dad and leave. This was when he was going to get his heart broken and-

"It's okay," Kara wrapped her arms around him. "I know you're scared of turning out like him but you don't have to be. It's okay to miss him and it's okay to think that everyone would be better off if he died. I know you don't really mean that."

Winn told himself he wasn't going to cry again and it took some doing but he didn't. So what if he sniffled a little? There wasn't anything unmanly about that.

Since it didn't seem like they were planning on leaving anytime soon Winn started the third movie. He had no interest in moving, he felt far too safe and content being cuddled between his soulmates. It had been a long time since he felt like this.

As it grew later though his stomach started feeling tighter. They would be leaving soon and he would be left to deal with his nightmares all by himself. Kara was already yawning and James was starting to look tired, glancing at his watch reluctantly. 

"We should probably get going," James seemed reluctant to go, slowly disentangling himself from Winn.

"Yeah," Kara yawned.

Winn hesitated. It was now or never, this would be the moment when he found out their true intentions. "Would-would you stay the night please?" He blurted out.

James and Kara turned to look at him in surprise. 

"I-I don't want to be alone," he admitted. "If-if you can't that's fine I-I just thought I'd ask."

"Of course," Kara smiled. "Just let me fly over and grab a few things, okay?"

"Sounds great," James agreed.

"Thank you," Winn told them.

"Not a problem," James kissed the side of his head again, eliciting yet another blush. "Why do you keep blushing when I do that?" His tone wasn't judgmental but Winn still tensed.

"I-I'm not used to people being that gentle with me," Winn admitted. He could feel James tense and immediately panicked. "Not-not that it's a bad thing. I mean, I really like it-" his voice trailed off as James slowly, gently kissed him on the lips.

Winn closed his eyes and hummed in satisfaction. The kiss was soft and everything he'd ever wanted. He all but melted as James rested one hand on his cheek and the other on his shoulder. James wasn't demanding, wasn't pushing to get access into Winn's mouth which he greatly appreciated. 

"No fair," he heard Kara complain a few seconds after the balcony door opened. "I wanted to kiss him first."

"You met him first," James retorted as he broke off the kiss, much to Winn's disappointment. 

"True," she agreed. She proudly handed Winn a garbage bag filled with torn shirts. "I brought some of my shirts that haven't been torn yet," she explained. "And I got our pajamas and a change of clothes for tomorrow."

"I'll get started on them in the morning," Winn promised. "Since I have the day off I should be able to get most of them done."

"Cool," James stood back up. "The rest of us have to work though so we need to get some sleep."

"Sounds good," Winn stood up, ignoring the bundle of nerves in his stomach. Sure he wasn't going to be alone tonight but now he had to see how things played out.

James and Kara seemed to have a silent conversation with their eyes before she asked, "Do you want to change in separate rooms? We don't want to make you uncomfortable."

Winn almost sagged with relief as he nodded. "I, uh, I, it's nothing personal," he stuttered.

"Hey, it's okay, you don't have to explain yourself to us," James told him.

But he wanted to and so he did. "It's not that I- I mean, I, I have scars from-from some of my foster homes," he admitted.

"Oh," Kara's face did that awkward thing where she was both horrified and angry before settling on a more gentle expression. "If you don't feel comfortable letting us see them right now that's fine."

"I'll change in the bathroom," he decided, grabbing his Star Wars pajamas. It only took him a minute to change, being forced to room with other kids had taught him to be quick if he didn't want to endure teasing over his scrawny frame. He waited a couple of minutes before going back into his room.

James had already claimed the left side of the bed and Kara was eagerly sitting on the opposite side.

"Come on," she urged. "You can sleep between us or on this side if you want."

"The middle's fine," he crawled into his bed, relishing how warm it was next to James and Kara quickly followed suit.

As it turned out, sleeping between his soulmates provided Winn one of the best night's sleep he had ever had. It was almost like being wrapped in a cocoon and he had never felt safer.

* * *

James felt oddly content when he woke up the next morning. A body he didn't recognize was pressed next to him, soft hair tickling the back of his neck. It took a minute for him to realize that it was most likely Winn. Careful not to disturb him James rolled onto his side so that he was facing his soulmate.

Winn looked utterly peaceful, lying there with one of Kara's arms wrapped around him. His mouth was open and he lightly snored. James couldn't help but smile at the sight even as he took a quick glance at the clock. He still had a few minutes before he had to get up so he decided to just watch them.

Kara was smiling even as she snored and James wondered just how lucky he had been to get the two of them as soulmates. Not only were both of them incredibly good looking but one was a superhero and the other was a certified genius.

Winn made a cute little grumbling noise and his eyes started fluttering a little. Suddenly he tensed and James hurried to soothe him.

"Hey, it's just us," he whispered. "You don't have to be afraid."

Winn relaxed a little then finally opened his eyes, smiling a bit when he saw James. "You guys stayed," he sounded surprised yet happy.

"Of course we did," James leaned forward, pressing a gentle kiss to Winn's lips. "We'll stay whenever you want us to and you're always welcome to stay with us. We like spending time with you."

Winn blushed again. It was a very good look on him.

"Less talking, more cuddling," Kara mumbled, a hand reaching out for James..

"We have to get up in a minute," James reminded her, smirking when both of them groaned. "I doubt Cat will let us miss two days in a row even if it was for a good reason."

"Thank you for that," Winn said quietly. "I really appreciate it."

"Not a problem," Kara leaned over and kissed his cheek.

"We should get up though, if you guys want breakfast. I think all I have is frozen waffles."

"You really need to go grocery shopping," Kara agreed as she reluctantly sat up before standing.

"All I know how to cook is curry," Winn argued as he and James got up as well. "I never really learned how to cook anything else."

"I'm a pretty good cook, I could teach you a few things," James offered as he located the clean clothes Kara had brought for him.

"That would be awesome," Winn grinned. He rummaged through his closet for a minute then headed towards the bathroom, clean clothes in hand.

Once the door was shut James and Kara quickly dressed. James wasn't going to lie, he could get used to waking up with Winn and, judging by the smile on Kara's face, so could she. 

Winn came out a minute later, sporting yet another cardigan and button-up combo. "What?" He shrugged when he caught them staring at him. "This is how I like to dress."

"And you look very cute," Kara grinned.

"Very," James added.

Winn blushed and muttered, "You guys don't look so bad yourselves. Thanks, uh, thanks for staying last night. I-I appreciate it."

"No problem," James told him. "If you ever want a repeat, all you have to do is ask."

* * *

It wasn't until his lunch break that Hank actually had time to go and visit Winn. He would have come by the night before but he knew Winn would have called him if his soulmates hadn't stayed the night. Which was good. It meant they were willing to take care of him even if it meant inconveniencing themselves.

He knocked twice then went ahead and let himself in. Winn was on the couch, steadily sewing shirts. The color alone told Hank they weren't his but were probably Kara's. 

"Dare I even ask what you're doing?" He sat the bag of barbecue sandwiches down on the coffee table, careful not to place it on the clothes.

"Kara keeps losing her buttons so I'm replacing them with snaps," Winn didn't even look up. "And no she didn't ask me to do it."

"Good," Hank began dividing the food. "Eat before the food gets cold. You can finish her stuff later. I trust they didn't try anything last night?"

"Not a thing, Space Dad," Winn happily grabbed his food and started eating. "They said they'd be happy to stay again if I wanted them to."

Hank nodded and sat down, making Winn scoot to the other end. "They seem to be good for you. You've been much happier since you met them."

"I am," Winn said quietly. "I, uh, I told them everything. About my dad that is. They, uh, they didn't hate me after that so-so maybe, they'll stay."

"I think they will," Hank told him. "I can see how much they love you when they look at you. And I can see how much you love them."

"That scares me a little," Winn admitted. "I'm trying not to let my anxiety get the best of me but it's very hard."

"And that's why I'm so proud of you," Hank patted Winn on the shoulder. "Now finish eating, I'm not leaving until you're done."

"All the more reason not to hurry," Winn quipped.


	11. Chapter 11

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Kara had a bad day but Winn helps.

Nothing could ruin Kara's good mood that day, not even Ms. Grant's demands to be allowed to interview Winn. Kara politely but firmly refused, stating that Winn hadn't wanted anybody to know and that he wouldn't be interviewed by anyone, not even Lois Lane.

It was only then that Ms. Grant relented but she still threatened to fire Kara if Winn was interviewed by anyone else.

Lunch found James and Kara at Noonan's, chatting about their soulmate. 

"I can't believe Winn's related to a mass murderer," Kara shook her head in disbelief. 

"You know," James said thoughtfully, "that might be why he was mistreated at his foster homes. Think about it. I imagine most of them weren't thrilled to be taking care of him because of who his dad is. They probably hurt him because it made them feel like they were punishing his dad instead."

"Huh," Kara frowned. "That makes a lot of sense. Unfortunately."

"I completely understand why he didn't want to tell us, he probably thought we were going to either hurt or leave him," James said. "I imagine not everyone understands that it's not his fault."

"Where I come from," Kara was careful with her choice of words just in case someone was listening in. "It's illegal to be prejudiced towards someone based on their family. I wasn't given special treatment because of who my mother was and those related to criminals weren't treated any differently."

"It's a shame that not everyone thinks the way your people did. Hopefully though this will prove that we're not going to leave or hurt him."

"I hope so," Kara sighed. "I'm going to see if he wants to do dinner tonight when I pick up my shirts."

"Don't forget to thank him for that," James reminded her.

"I will," Kara grumbled as she dug out her phone.

_ I just wanted to say thanks for fixing my shirts. I really appreciate it. _

_ No problem. _

_ Do you want to have dinner tonight? I was going to stop by and pick up a few shirts for the week anyways.  _

_ That depends.  _

_ On what? _

_ How you guys feel about curry. I was planning on making some tonight. _

_ I've never had curry before. James says it's pretty good though and I'd love to try it. _

_ Sounds good. Just let me know when you're headed this way so I'll know to start it. _

_ Will do! _

"I take it by the satisfied grin that we're having dinner together?" James was smiling and Kara beamed at him.

"He's making us curry," she said happily. "I can't wait to try it."

"I like curry," James nodded in approval.

The rest of the day dragged on far too slowly in Kara's opinion. Suddenly time was crawling and Ms. Grant's demands irritated her to no end. She practically flew out of the building the second five o'clock rolled around, making James laugh as he followed her to their car.

"He's not going anywhere," James chided as he unlocked the doors. "Besides, aren't you supposed to let him know that we're leaving?"

"Shit," she cursed and pulled out her phone, trying to text with one hand while she climbed into the car. She hit her head on the door and cursed again upon realizing that there was now a dent in the car.

"This hasn't been your day, has it, babe?" James smiled at her sympathetically. 

"No," Kara sniffed. "At this point I'm afraid I'm going to say or do something and make Winn mad. The way my day is going I wouldn't doubt it."

"Don't worry so much," James gave her a quick kiss before starting the car. "Just try not to break your phone again. It's already got a few cracks in it."

Kara whimpered when she looked at the technology in her hand. "I can't afford to replace this again," she groaned.

"We can reschedule with Winn if we need to," James frowned. 

"No!" Kara practically shouted before forcing herself to calm down. "All I want to do is see Winn, eat and go to bed."

"I think we can manage that."

Thankfully the ride to Winn's was short although Kara did trip trying to get out of the car. She whimpered again and hastily wiped her tears away before James could see them.

Winn was smiling when he opened the door but it quickly faded when he saw Kara. "What's wrong?" He frowned. "You, uh, you've got some paint on your forehead?"

"She hit her head on the car," James explained. "And then she tripped while getting out and the rest of her day was pretty shitty."

"Why didn't you just go home? I could have waited," Winn guided Kara to the couch before going into the kitchen.

"I wanted to see you," Kara sniffed.

"While I appreciate the thought this entire situation is making me uncomfortable. I don't know how to handle crying women," Winn came back out and offered her a wet washrag. 

"Same," James agreed. "I don't think any man knows how to handle it."

"I wonder," Winn mused, "if lesbians can handle it better."

It took a second for the joke to register before Kara burst into giggles. Her laughter quickly became hysterical then turned into tears.

"Oh, shit," Winn started getting panicky. "What do I do?" He hissed. 

James rolled his eyes. "Just do what you want people to do when you cry."

If anything Winn looked even more panicked. "Usually I'm having a panic attack by this point and am too focused on trying to count my breaths to notice what else is going on around me."

"Fair," James conceded. "Just give her a hug."

"I'm sitting right here," Kara sniffed.

"I apologize if this isn't done correctly," Winn leaned forward and hesitantly wrapped his arms around Kara. She latched onto him, crying into his shoulder as he rubbed her back.

"Sorry," she apologized after a minute, pulling back and wiping her eyes. "It's just been a bad day."

"I see that. I really wouldn't have minded if you put off supper," Winn told her.

"But I would," she countered.

Winn hesitated then kissed her, his hands fluttering a bit as if he wasn't sure what to do with them. 

Kara moaned and quickly returned the favor, her hands cupping his face. His lips were chapped but she didn't care. Her tongue chased after his and, after a moment, he opened his mouth and allowed her access. He didn't offer much resistance as she eagerly explored his mouth.

"Kara," James said sharply.

"Huh?" Startled, she pulled back and looked at him. James inclined his head and she turned to look at Winn. He was a little pale and guilt flooded her. "I'm so sorry," she reached out and grabbed his hands, ignoring the slight flinch. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah," he nodded. "I just...don't really like things in my mouth? I, uh. I dated an alien in college and he, uh, he didn't have anything down there," he gestured towards his lower half. "Instead he had tentacles and I almost choked to death on them more than once so I've never liked stuff going in there ever since," he admitted sheepishly. 

"He didn't stop?" Kara was furious but tried not to let it show on her face.

"I'm glad you broke up with him," was all James said as he squeezed one of Winn's hands.

"Not exactly," Winn winced. "I, uh, I found out he was dealing drugs so I sent the DEO an anonymous tip and they took him into custody. Hank showed up at my door the next morning to recruit me. At least once I graduated. An emancipated sixteen-year-old can't work for a government agency. You have to be at least eighteen."

"You were sixteen when you dated that creep?" James was frowning, obviously doing the math in his head. "How old was he?"

Winn looked reluctant to answer. "Twenty-five," he said weakly. "Sixteen was the age of consent though so nobody really said anything. Well Hank did but it was over by that point."

Sixteen. Winn had been sixteen when that monster had tried to choke him. She couldn't help but wonder, if he had been that cruel, if he hadn't stopped when Winn was choking to death what had he been like in the bedroom? She decided that she didn't really want to know. She wanted to be able to sleep at night. 

"Something's burning," she said, sniffing the air.

Winn's eyes widened. "Oh, shit," he jumped up and ran into the kitchen.

James and Kara followed, smiling in amusement as Winn let out a loud string of expletives upon seeing that the food was burnt.

"So, who wants takeout?" He sighed.

"Pizza sounds good," James suggested. 

"Ooh pizza," Kara grinned.

"Pizza it is," Winn rifled through one of the cabinet drawers, pulling out a couple of takeout menus. "So we have three choices: one has Italian cheese bread, another has stuffed cheesesticks and the last one has free drinks if you buy twenty or more bucks worth."

"They all sound so good," Kara pouted. "But I like stuffed cheesesticks."

"That's fine with me," James agreed.

"I'll get three orders," Winn decided. "Just in case someone," he fake glared at Kara who stuck her tongue out, "decides to eat it all."

"I have a super high metabolism," Kara defended herself.

"How much?" James pulled out his wallet. "I don't have a lot of cash but I can send it wirelessly."

"I can take care of it," Winn didn't look up from his phone as he placed the order.

"No," James insisted. "It's not fair for you to always pay for everything."

Winn sighed. "I make about five hundred thousand a year," he said quietly.

Kara and James both choked. "How?" Kara finally managed to ask.

"Well, the thing is, I make a lot of inventions? And I own the patents so the government has to pay me every time they use one of them. Which they do. A lot."

"I thought they owned everything you made," James looked confused.

"Hank had that clause put in my contract," he admitted. "It's not his fault the government didn't read it very closely. He made sure I understood everything before I signed. But considering I have a law degree it wasn't that hard."

"Law degree?" Kara blinked. "I thought you worked with computers."

"Well you see I have more than one degree," Winn explained. "I have a doctorate in Computer Programming, a law degree, and a masters in Communication Technology. Not to mention I'm working on getting a bachelors in fashion design. What?" He asked when he noticed that they were staring at him, mouths wide open. "I find fashion design slightly interesting."

"I just, wow," was all James could say. "I knew you were brilliant but this is way beyond that."

"You really think so?" Winn blushed.

"Definitely. On Krypton you would have been revered as one of our most esteemed scholars," Kara told him. "My mother would have sought your counsel before she made any decisions." It wasn't a lie: Alura would have considered Winn invaluable and his family situation meant she probably would've taken Winn in the way Hank had.

"I wish I could've met her," sympathy shone in Winn's eyes. "And the rest of your family."

"Me too," Kara said sadly before brightening. "You can meet Eliza, my foster mom. She's really excited to meet you."

"My sister wants to meet you too," James added. "She keeps asking when we're going to bring you back home."

"Uh," Winn was starting to look overwhelmed.

"Eliza's going to be attending a conference in National City next month, we could have dinner and introduce you then," Kara offered. 

"Yeah and I video chat with my sister every weekend," James was quick to catch on. "You easily come over and say hi that way. Less stressful on everybody."

"I can do that," Winn agreed. "And you guys already know Hank and Alex and there's no way in hell you're meeting my birth parents."

Kara frowned. She (and James) had thought Winn's mother was dead which was why it was weird the way he had phrased it, but she wasn't going to worry about it. The important thing was that Winn was going to meet their families, soon hopefully so Eliza would stop pestering her about it.


	12. Chapter 12

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winn gets an unexpected letter that sends him spiraling.

It was almost a week after his father's escape that Winn's life was once again overturned. Things had been going well, he had met James's sister via Skype and she seemed nice, even sharing a few embarrassing stories about James's childhood that had led to him hanging up on her mid-sentence before pressing a quick kiss to Winn's mouth.

James and Kara had stayed over twice and they had dinner together almost every night. Hank had begrudgingly agreed to invite them over for dinner again and Winn planned on extending the invitation that night. Kara wanted to play charades and eat more potstickers and James was always down to spend more time with both of them and Winn certainly wasn't going to argue.

He flipped through the mail, wrinkling his nose when he saw the bills. True, money wasn't a big concern for him but that didn't mean he liked getting bills. It was mostly junk mail except for a small, plain envelope. He frowned and opened it.

Seconds later the envelope and its contents fluttered to the ground right as Winn grabbed the back of his couch for support.

She...she had  _ responded.  _ She was coming to  _ visit. _ She...she was going to see what a mess he had made of his life and he was going to get in  _ so much _ trouble.

* * *

  
  


"Winn?" James knocked again, frowning. He held a bag of Thai in one hand and was knocking with the other. Winn's van was in the parking lot, he had seen it when the valet went to park his car as Kara was running late and would be along shortly. But Winn wasn't answering the door so he sighed and dug out his keys, quickly locating the spare Winn had given them.

Once inside he sat the food on the coffee table and looked around. Nothing seemed out of place except for...mail. Several pieces lay scattered on the ground behind the couch. James crouched down and looked through them, finally settling on the only open piece, a letter.

_ Winslow, _

_ I suppose enough time has passed for me to forgive you. I'm surprised you were able to find soulmates that wanted to deal with you. _

_ I'll be coming by in a day or so. I expect you to pay my travel expenses.  _

_ Mary _

James frowned. He didn't know who Mary was but he already didn't like her. "Winn?" He called again as he stood, holding the letter in one hand.

There was no answer so he started looking through the apartment but there was no sign of Winn. Finally, in desperation, James decided to look in the closet. To his immense surprise Winn was sitting in it, his knees pulled close to his chest.

"Winn?" James knelt so they were at eye level. "What are you doing in there?"

Winn blinked at him then spoke, his voice oddly childish. "Mother said."

"Ookay," James drew the word out. "Why did she tell you to get in the closet? Can you tell me that?"

"I'm too much trouble to deal with when Dad's not home," he mumbled. 

"What does your mom-?" James cut himself off. "Winn, is this letter from her?" He held up the letter and Winn flinched.

"You can't tell her I told you, I'm not supposed to tell people about the closet. Please!" Winn was panicking, his eyes wide and shiny with unshed tears.

"Shh, it's okay," James reached out and carefully settled a hand on Winn's shoulder but pulled it back when Winn flinched violently. "I won't tell her, I promise. Why don't I just sit here until you feel like coming out, is that okay?"

Winn considered then nodded. "Okay," he whispered. 

James pulled his phone out and quickly texted Kara, letting her know there had been a change in plans before calling Alex. 

"James?" She sounded confused when she picked up.

"Hey, sorry to bother you but I need to talk to Hank for a minute. It's urgent."

"He'll call you back in a minute," she promised then hung up.

Not even a minute later his phone rang and James wasted no time in answering. "James."

"What's wrong?" Hank demanded. 

"Winn's hiding in the closet and I think he got a letter from his mom which is why he's doing it," James explained. 

Hank proceeded to let out a loud string of curses, some of which weren't human in origin. "There's nothing I can do for him from here," he said regretfully. "I'll get there as soon as I can but until then just stay with him, see if you can get him to eat. Maybe play some music but don't try to force him out, it will  _ not _ end well."

"Understood."

"And, James, next time you can just call me directly, emergency or not."

James smiled. "Will do, sir." After Hank hung up he turned back to his soulmate and sighed. "Do you want something to eat? I brought Thai, it's in the living room."

"I'm only allowed to eat when Dad's home," Winn said solemnly. "I'm not important enough to waste time and food on."

No wonder Winn had spent as much time as possible with his dad if that was the only time he was allowed to eat and leave the closet.

"Well I think you're important," James told him.

Winn peered at him. "Mother won't like it," he said before falling silent again.

James sighed. This was going to be a  _ long _ evening.

* * *

  
  


By the time Hank got there it was two hours later and he was greeted at the door by Kara.

"He's still in the closet," she told him as she shut the door behind him. "James managed to get him to eat a little but only a few bites."

"That's better than nothing," Hank sighed.

"Um, apparently he wasn't allowed out to use the bathroom either so," Kara's voice trailed off. 

"If I ever meet that bitch I'm going to break her neck," Hank growled.

"We'll be happy to help," Kara told him.

James was sitting outside the closet, talking about his day at work. He was eating Thai food, occasionally holding out his chopsticks, gently coaxing Winn to take a bite. He got to his feet when he saw Hank.

"He's eaten some but he's convinced he's going to get in trouble if he leaves for  _ any _ reason, including the bathroom."

"Unfortunately that sounds normal," Hank sighed. He knelt down and eyed his son sadly. "Hey, kiddo, I'm not going to hurt you, okay?" He reached out and slowly placed a hand on Winn's forehead, his eyes glowing red.

It was easy to reach in and find Winn, his consciousness was lost, hidden in a sea of memories from his early childhood. Hank gently grasped Winn and pulled.

"Hank?" Winn sounded confused as he took notice of his surroundings. "Why am I in the closet?"

"We were hoping you could tell us that," Hank grabbed Winn's hand and stood, pulling him to his feet. His phone went off and he growled, his face growing dark as he read the message. "I have to go. I'll call as soon as I can. Take care of him," he wrapped Winn in a quick hug then left.

* * *

  
  


"Come on," James gently took Winn's hand once Hank had gone. "Let's get you cleaned up first then we can talk if you're up to it."

"I'll take care of the closet," Kara said cheerfully.

"I'll clean it up," Winn's face was red and his voice low.

"No," James said firmly. "Come on," he gently tugged until Winn reluctantly followed him to the bedroom. James grabbed Winn's pajamas before guiding him into the bathroom.

"I'm sorry," Winn said suddenly as James began preparing a bath. "I didn't mean to, I didn't know-"

"Winn," James waited until his soulmate was looking at him before speaking. "It's okay, it's not a big deal. These things happen." Seeing that Winn didn't look convinced James decided to share a secret with him. "You know, when Clark first revealed his powers to me I had already had four coffees and I really had to go. So when Clark decided to jump off the roof...well…"

"You didn't," Winn was staring at him. "In front of Superman?"

"Yep," James confirmed. "He thought it was hilarious, even when I made him fly to my apartment and find me a change of clothes. He has never let me live it down either."

Winn grinned a little. "I would have died of embarrassment," he confided.

"I almost did," James admitted. "Come on, make sure the water's warm enough for you."

Winn looked at him awkwardly as he went to test the water. "I can give myself a bath," he muttered.

"Yes but do you want to?"

Winn considered it for a few moments then shook his head. "Not really."

"Then don't," James said simply. "You're allowed to let people take care of you."

Winn hesitated then carefully took off his clothes. James took a moment to admire just how good his soulmate looked then beckoned him closer. He could see what looked like welts crisscrossing his back, extending even to his buttocks and understood why he was so reluctant to change in front of them.

After Winn climbed in the tub James grabbed a washcloth and grinned when he saw the bottle of purple body wash.

"Not very manly," he joked and Winn made a face at him.

"I like the way it smells," he sniffed. "Besides it was a gift from Alex. I just happened to like it."

James took note of the name as he began washing his soulmate. Most people would have found it strange but James liked having someone to take care of. Kara didn't need much attention so he was glad that Winn did. It made him feel needed plus Winn deserved extra attention for having such a crappy life until now.

Winn was stiff at first, tensing as James lightly hummed while scrubbing his back. He slowly relaxed when James didn't comment on the scars, even closing his eyes at one point.

"Hey," James waited for Winn to open his eyes. He looked completely relaxed and like he could fall asleep any second. "I'm done with everything but down there. I wasn't sure if you felt comfortable letting me touch you down there or not."

Winn blushed a little but took the washcloth and finished washing himself. By the time he had gotten out James had found his fluffy towel collection and quickly dried him before helping Winn get dressed.

"Hey," Kara was sitting on the couch and she quickly stood up, wrapping Winn in a tight hug before pulling him to sit next to her. "I heated up the Thai food after I cleaned up the closet."

"Did you use the microwave?" James asked hopefully as he too sat down. 

"A little," she admitted, "but I didn't set anything on fire or trigger the smoke alarm so that's a plus."

"Fair," James admitted. He sat next to Winn, letting the smaller man leaning against him as they quietly ate.

"You were right," Winn said suddenly. "That letter was from my mom. I, uh, I wrote to tell her about meeting the two of you. I didn't expect her to actually write back. I mean, I've been writing to her for almost twenty years now and she hasn't written back before now."

"Winn," Kara spoke carefully. "Why were you in foster care if she was alive? James and I, we thought she was dead. You haven't mentioned her before now."

"She didn't want kids," Winn said softly. "Dad begged her not to have an abortion, she always said that was her biggest regret. Dad was the one that took care of me for the most part, she only did it if she had to. Once I was old enough to walk she expected me to fend for myself, I had to feed myself, dress myself...everything. She didn't, she didn't really start hating me until I learned how to talk. My questions annoyed her so much that one day she just...locked me in the closet and left me there until it was time for Dad to come home. I spent a lot of time in that closet."

Winn's laugh was hollow so James wrapped an arm around him and, after taking a deep, shuddering breath, Winn continued. 

"Things got really bad after Dad was taken away. I spent a solid week in the closet, no food or water or anything. Finally, she made me pack my stuff and we spent the day in court, listening to everyone testify against him. We went back home but on the way she stopped the car and told me to grab my stuff and get out then she just...drove away. I just stood there and watched her leave."

"She left you on the side of the road?" James repeated to make sure he hadn't misheard Winn who nodded. "Please tell me it was at least a busy highway where lots of people could see you."

Winn shook his head. "Back road in the middle of nowhere. I got lucky and some drunk guy saw me and called the cops and made them come check. They weren't very amused. They never found her, not that they looked very hard."

"But you found her," Kara checked.

"Eventually. Once I learned how to use a computer it wasn't hard. It's stupid I know but I started writing her, hoping that maybe she would come back and actually  _ be _ my mom, you know? But my letters always came back, unopened."

"That sucks," James ran a hand through Winn's hair. "But it's not stupid."

"Maybe, maybe she's changed," Winn was clearly grasping at straws now. "Maybe she's finally ready to be my mom."

"People can change," Kara said diplomatically. "Maybe she finally has. For your sake I hope so."

She caught James's eye and shook her head when she was certain that Winn couldn't see her. Privately, James agreed with her but he had to stay positive, for Winn's sake.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know some of you don't leave comments for fear of bothering me but I honestly thought no one was reading this anymore so I actually stopped working on it but a recent comment has peaked my interest once again.


	13. Chapter 13

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Hank's identity is revealed.

Winn hadn't even had to ask James and Kara to stay the night, they had simply decided it on their own. Kara had already gotten their clothes and they went to bed soon after eating. Winn could already tell it wasn't going to be a good night but he kept his mouth shut, not wanting them to leave. Logically, he knew they wouldn't but there was still a tiny voice in the back of his head reminding him that everyone left, sooner or later.

Despite the warmth of his soulmates and their comforting presence he slept fitfully, dreaming of empty roads and bombs. He wasn't sure what time it was when someone started shaking him, voices calling out his name.

He was aware that he was calling out something, calling for someone but whoever he wanted wasn't answering.

"Winn," the voice was worried.

"Come on, sweetie, wake up."

Finally, Winn was able to open his eyes. The bedside light was on and he could see James and Kara sitting up, gazing at him worriedly. His throat felt raw and he ended up coughing instead of speaking. James handed him some water which Winn easily downed after sitting up.

"You okay?" Kara was rubbing his back and he leaned into her touch.

"I don't know," he answered honestly. "I'm sorry, I didn't mean to wake you guys."

"It's okay, nightmares happen to everyone," James told him. "Do you want to talk about it?"

"My mom, leaving me," Winn said quietly. "She used to call me Toyman Jr., said I was going to turn out just like my dad. I did. I was building bombs and killing people and you guys were hunting me down. Hank was, he  _ hated _ me, said he never should've taken me in and-" Winn burst into tears.

"It's okay," Kara wrapped him in a hug. "It'll be okay, I promise. It was just a dream."

"Yeah. If you're worried why not call Hank?" James suggested. "I doubt he'll mind."

Winn hesitated. He wanted to call Hank he really did but he also didn't want to make him mad.

"I'll call him," James took the decision out of his hands and grabbed his phone, dialing Hank's number before passing it to Winn.

"Winn?" Hank sounded groggy and Winn winced.

"S-sorry to wake you. I, uh, I."

"Bad dream?" Hank's voice was gentle. "I'm okay, Winn, I still love you. I'll come by and see you in the morning, okay?"

"Okay," Winn agreed.

"Now get some sleep," Hank ordered then promptly hung up.

"Feel better?" James asked as he took his phone back.

"Yeah," Winn mumbled before yawning. "I think I'm going to try and get some more sleep now."

"Good idea," James yawned. 

The next time Winn woke up a hint of sunlight was pouring through his windows and James had an arm around him as he continued snoring. He could hear voices coming from the living room but they were too faint to make out what they were saying.

A warm presence nudged at his mind ever so slightly and Winn relaxed once he realized it was Hank and most likely Kara.

_ Are you okay? _ Hank asked via their mind link.

_ I think so. Better than last night. _

_ I'm glad. I'm also glad they stayed the night. I didn't want you to be alone.  _

_ Me neither. _

Seconds later Winn was glad Hank had gone back to talking to Kara as warm lips pressed against his neck, eliciting a shiver as they moved closer to his face and he rolled over, granting James easier access to his face.

"Hey," James smiled, stroking Winn's cheek with his thumb. 

"Hey," Winn said back.

"Is this okay?" James asked, kissing Winn's neck again.

"Yes," Winn said after a moment's consideration. "I like that."

"Good, I like it too," James continued kissing him, his lips soft. 

Winn couldn't help but moan a little. One hand was stroking his cheek and the other was resting on his arm, warm and strong. He wasn't interested in sex but he certainly didn't mind a good make-out session with the right person and James was certainly a good candidate. He hoped Kara would turn out to be this awesome.

"You're both awake!" They were interrupted by Kara who happily burst into the room. "Hank's here and he brought breakfast."

Winn sighed in disappointment as James groaned and sat up. "Babe, what did we say about timing?"

"Oh!" Kara froze. "You two were, I mean."

"We were making out," Winn sighed as he too sat up. "Until you interrupted."

"Oh," Kara's face fell.

"Maybe we can do it later?" Winn found himself suggesting. "I kind of like making out."

"TMI," Hank appeared behind Kara. "I bring breakfast and this is what I get? Unbelievable."

"It's not  _ my _ fault you can read my mind," Winn stuck his tongue out then froze. "That was-that was just a joke. Yeah, just a stupid joke that I made because I'm an idiot."

Hank sighed. "I suppose they're going to find out sooner or later," he then transformed into his original form, gaining startled yelps from James and Kara. "I am J'onn J'onzz, the last of the Green Martians."

"Breakfast sounds good, Space Dad," Winn chuckled as he got out of bed. "And I think you broke their brains."

J'onn looked oddly terrifying to most when he was grinning but Winn wasn't frightened of him in the slightest. "Good. Now they definitely know better than to mess with you. Let's eat while they reboot but they might want to hurry otherwise it'll all be gone."

"Wait for me," Kara cried as Winn and J'onn headed back into the living room. "Come on, James. Breakfast first, then questions."

"You need to get your priorities in order," James called after her.

"Food is one of the most important things in life," she retorted.

* * *

In James's humble opinion breakfast was just a  _ little _ bit awkward with a six foot green alien sitting across from him in an armchair. It was...odd seeing him down donuts and coffee as he casually discussed work with Winn.

Winn was grinning at them as he managed to slip in revelations about J'onn's powers which included walking through walls, reading minds and changing his appearance. 

Kara was thrilled to meet another alien and was more than happy to ask questions while James wondered how he had ended up as the normal one in this odd little family.

"So when did you realize he was an alien?" James asked.

"When we first met," Winn answered. "After I, uh, I learned that aliens existed I wanted a way to tell who was an alien and who wasn't. So I, I created an alien tracking device based off of my boyfriend's DNA. So when J'onn showed up at my doorstep the device went off. I didn't say anything but after I started working with him I began taking DNA samples from him and the other aliens and added them to the device so it wouldn't go off if they were detected nearby. Except for the ones in lockup," he added. "If they're within one hundred feet then the device goes off. Sort of a safety measure. Alex was kind enough to provide your DNA so I could add it to the database," he told Kara.

"Once I learned of the device I had him make one for each Agent," J'onn explained. "Hence why we all wear identical watches."

"Oh yeah," Winn brightened. "I almost forgot, I made ones for you guys too."

He got out of his chair and walked to where his messenger bag was sitting on the coffee table. After digging through it he finally pulled out two watches and handed them to Kara and James. 

"Cool, thanks," James put his on, next to the one Clark had given him.

"I love it," Kara smiled. Hers had a blue band which meant she could probably wear it with her costume. "How do I turn it off?"

"Like this," Winn demonstrated. "You press this button and it'll turn off. Try and collect DNA samples if possible so I can add them to the database."

"Thanks to him we've positively identified over three hundred different aliens living in National City," J'onn said proudly.

"And most of them aren't hostile," Winn added. "Most of them just want to be left alone and make lives here on Earth."

"Where did they all come from?" James was curious. He had always wondered why aliens came to Earth and not some other planet.

"Lots of places," Winn shrugged. "A lot of wars have been going on in space lately so a lot of them lost their homes and some of their planets. They all knew that Krypton had sent a few of their kids here so they decided to come this way too."

"And then there are some that simply wanted to make a fresh start," J'onn explained. "When we run into aliens that don't want to cause trouble we usually do what we can to help them out. Winn here is very good at helping cook up new identities and Alex is pretty good at finding places for them to hide out."

"Not that they have to do that much these days," Winn commented. "More and more people are getting used to them being around which is a good thing. I think. It's a good thing, right?" He turned to J'onn who nodded.

"It's a very good thing," he agreed. "If humans had been more welcoming when I first arrived here I wouldn't have found it necessary to disguise myself and take over the DEO."

"Yeah but then you wouldn't have met Winn," Kara pointed out. "Or Alex."

"I didn't say I would have wanted it to be that way. I don't regret anything that I've done. I would never regret meeting my children or the two of you. After everything you've done for Winn and Alex you are now part of my Earth family."

"Awesome speech, I give it a...ten out of ten," Winn provided a thumbs up before he went back to eating.

The three dozen donuts J'onn had brought were almost gone and James was starting to feel full. Winn had slowed down as well and was now just picking at his donut. Which was understandable as the two of them had just finished splitting a dozen donuts, the aliens each getting their own box.

J'onn's phone went off and he let out a heavy sigh. "There are days when I regret taking over the DEO," he grumbled. He read the text and sighed again. "Lovely. Maggie accidentally wandered into a restricted area and released some unknown chemical."

"Joy," Winn rolled his eyes. "I totally called it by the way."

"Fine," J'onn stood up then turned back into Hank. "I'll buy you coffee for the next two days."

"Yes!" Winn fist pumped. "I won!"

"Keep it up and you'll start working overnight," Hank threatened before leaving.

"So, who's Maggie?" Kara wanted to know.

"You don't know who Maggie is?" Winn stared at her in shock. "Boy is Alex going to get it. Maggie is a "friend" of Alex's that works for the police."

James raised an eyebrow. "What's with the finger quotes?"

Winn had a devilish look on his face as he said, "You know, it's funny. Alex refuses to take her sunglasses off when they're around each other. If you ask me, I think she's afraid of seeing colors. Since, you know, soulmates have to make eye contact to see their colors."

Kara sat up straighter. "You think Maggie is Alex's soulmate?"

Winn shrugged. "Either that or she's afraid Maggie  _ won't  _ be her soulmate. Regardless, I've got a lot of cleaning to do if I'm going to make this place presentable for my mother."

"Are you sure about seeing her?" James asked hesitantly. "No offense but from what you told us she doesn't sound like a good person. We just don't want to see you get hurt."

"I know but," Winn bit his lip. "At the end of the day she's still my mom. She, she's willing to meet with me. I've been waiting for this day for almost twenty years. I  _ have _ to do this."

"Okay," Kara nodded. "We'll help you get everything ready."

"Thank you," Winn smiled.


	14. Chapter 14

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Winn's mom comes for a visit.

Winn was beyond petrified as it got closer to time for his mother to arrive. His apartment was sparkling clean (mostly thanks to Kara's super speed) and James had taken pity on him and cooked pork chops for everyone. He readjusted his tie and checked his hair one more time, debating grabbing a brush and going through it once more.

"You look great," Kara gently grabbed his hand. "I don't get why you're so obsessed with impressing this woman."

Winn sighed. James, Kara, J'onn and Alex had all expressed their less than stellar feelings about her and he couldn't really argue with them but he couldn't figure out how to explain either. Yes, she was a horrible woman but she was still his mother. She had given birth to him and had even given him a book for his birthday one year. He still had it, tucked away where no one (namely Lyra) could get hold of it.

"You don't have to prove yourself," James added as he rested his chin on Winn's shoulder. 

"That's easy for you to say, you guys are  _ perfect _ ," Winn muttered then groaned when he realized what he had said "I, I didn't, I didn't mean-"

"You're beautiful just the way you are," James pressed a kiss on his neck. "I know you don't think you are but we do."

Winn blushed. His insecurities had become rather obvious so his soulmates kept trying to emphasize how lovely they found him. Some days were better than others but today wasn't. 

There was a knock at the door and Winn flew into panic mode. "She's here, she's early!"

"Winn, calm down," Kara ordered. "Do you want me to get the door?"

"No," Winn yelped. "I'll get it."

He actually ran to the door, almost bashing his head against it before catching himself. He flung the door open and...there she was. She was older of course but he still recognized her. 

"Hi, hi, mom," he stuttered. 

She gave him a disdainful look as he moved to let her in. "I see you still can't speak correctly," was all she said.

Winn's smile suddenly felt tight and his heart dropped a little. "I'm sorry, mother," the words were automatic and his voice was shaky.

"You should be," Mary sniffed. Her gaze fell on James and Kara who were all but glaring at her. "You must be Winslow's soulmates. I admit, I was surprised that you were willing to put up with him."

"It's Winn," he corrected but she paid him no mind.

"Winn is a wonderful person," James said stiffly.

Mary raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. "So when are we eating? I'm famished and I expect a good meal and compensation for my travels in exchange for coming all this way."

Winn bit his lip to refrain from pointing out that she lived two hours away. Instead he said, "I already wired the money to your account and James made pork chops."

"At least  _ someone's  _ useful," she sighed. "You were always a bit useless."

"He was  _ eleven _ ," Kara hissed but fell silent when Winn threw her a pleading look.

Sure his mother's words hurt but maybe her actions would prove otherwise. Winn clung stubbornly to the hope that at least one of his biological parents cared about him, even just a little bit. Yes J'onn was awesome and sure he had daydreamed about J'onn adopting him when he was little but still.

"Age is irrelevant," Mary looked around the room. "Could be worse," she commented. "You seem to be doing better than your father. Shame you look just like him."

It was a double-edged compliment but still the nicest thing she had ever said to him.

"Thank you," he managed to get out without stuttering. 

"You  _ can _ talk normally," she seemed a little bit happier. "You should really talk like that all the time. I had hoped foster care would get that out of you and toughen you up a bit but it appears that wasn't as successful as I would have liked."

Winn told himself he wasn't tearing up but it was pointless as he felt one trickle down his cheek where it was quickly joined by another. 

"That's it," Kara said abruptly as James moved to comfort Winn. "I can't put up with this anymore. Winn invited you here so that you guys could reconnect but that obviously isn't happening. At least not in a good way."

"Hey, come here," James pulled Winn closer to him. "You okay?"

As much as Winn usually liked the hugs right now it was just too much. He shrugged James off and left the room. He needed to get away, to get somewhere his mother couldn't follow.

The closet! She had never entered the closet for any reason after locking him in there. He flung open the closet door only to stop and frown. There was now a nest in his closet, pillows and blankets and an empty jug in the corner.

"Kara fixed it up for you," James said quietly. "She thought you might need to hide in here again so she figured you could at least be comfortable."

Winn couldn't speak so he just nodded and sat down.

* * *

Alex was happily enjoying her cheeseburger when the front door of Winn's apartment building opened. She grabbed her binoculars and frowned. Winn's mother was coming back out and she looked furious. Alex debated going in but decided to simply follow the woman instead. She could check on Winn later, preferably after kicking his mother's ass.

She dialed Hank and he picked up just as she pulled out of the parking lot. 

"Bad news?" He was stuck in a briefing, the only reason he hadn't been there himself.

"Not sure but she looks pissed off so I'm following her. She wasn't even up there ten minutes so I doubt it was pretty."

Hank growled. "Thank you for keeping an eye on the situation. Make sure she leaves in one piece but that doesn't mean you can't rough her up a little."

"My thoughts exactly," Alex smirked.

"I'll take care of the money Winn no doubt sent her. Honestly, how he turned out so well is beyond me," Hank muttered.

"If I didn't know any better I'd say it sounded like you wanted to go back in time and raise him yourself," Alex teased, making sure to leave enough room between her and Mary that she wouldn't be seen.

"If I could I would and you know that," Hank pointed out. "Unfortunately I haven't figured out how to time travel yet. If I do though I promise, I'll save Jeremiah too."

"Thank you," Alex said quietly. 

"No problem. Unfortunately, I have to go. Vasquez is taking her rage out on the trainees again."

"Poor things," Alex shook her head in fake sympathy. "Have fun."

Hank simply hung up and Alex chuckled. Up ahead Mary turned into a gas station and Alex followed. It was easy to trail her into the bathroom where she locked the door and pulled her gun out.

"What the hell?" Mary demanded. 

"Hello, bitch," Alex pointed the gun at her, enjoying the look of terror on her face. "Don't worry, I'm not here to kill you."

"I don't have much money," Mary began fumbling with her purse. "My son does, I can call him."

That was the final straw. Alex grabbed the woman and slammed her into the wall. "If you ever and I mean  _ ever  _ try to contact your son again I will hunt you down and I will kill you."

"He's the one contacting me," Mary protested.

"Because you're his mother! You're  _ supposed _ to want to spend time with your son, not get bribed to do it. Honestly, you're a disgrace to every mother out there!  _ I  _ could do a better job than you ever could," Alex hissed. Which, considering her lack of maternal instincts, was a big deal.

"He's a coward," Mary hissed back. "And a weakling. At least his father had the balls to do something instead of just standing there whimpering. All Winslow ever did was sit in that closet and cry, he couldn't even control his bladder for a few hours."

"You locked him in a fucking closet, what did you expect was going to happen?" Alex snapped. "You're not even worth wasting a bullet on. If I were you I would consider moving as far away as possible. I am not the only person that loves Winn enough to kill for and the guy that I'm talking about? He'll kill you without a second thought and no one will ever find your body."

Mary was white as a sheet now and shaking. She looked a lot like Winn in that moment, all pale and fragile and Alex hated her even more. She didn't deserve to have any ties to Alex's little brother but it was for his sake that she didn't kill the woman.

Alex unlocked the door and pointed at it. "Go, before I change my mind."

Mary didn't hesitate, she took off, clutching her purse tightly. Alex watched her go, a frown on her face. She pulled her phone out and texted Winn.

_ She's still alive. Do I need to come over? _

The answer came from Kara's phone. 

_ He's in the closet, crying. _

_ On my way. _

Alex happily left the gas station, pleased to see that Mary was already gone. The drive back to Winn's didn't take long and the doorman seemed pleased to see her as he waved her in.

"Is he still in the closet?" Alex asked as Kara let her in.

"Unfortunately," she sighed. "James is talking to him like last time. We've got pork chops if you're hungry."

"I had a cheeseburger," Alex told her. "Why don't you get dinner ready? I should be able to coax him out. It isn't the first time this has happened."

"Hey," James smiled when he saw her. "He seems more aware than last time."

"Hey, Winn," Alex knelt in front of the open door. He had his arms wrapped around his knees and was shaking slightly as tears rolled down his cheeks. "It's okay, buddy, she's gone. She can't hurt you anymore."

Winn looked at her dully before responding. "What did I do wrong?"

Alex's heart broke. "You didn't do anything wrong, she did. Now come on, you must be starving."

As if on cue his stomach rumbled and Alex smiled triumphantly.

"Here," James stood then offered Winn a hand which was gladly taken. "Come on, let's hurry before Kara burns all the food."

Alex nodded in agreement. "I love my sister but she's not the best cook."

"I heard that!" Kara called from the kitchen.

"Eavesdroppers never hear anything good about themselves," Alex called back.

"I'm sorry about all of this," Winn mumbled as he stretched his legs and hastily wiped at his tears. "I don't know why I ever thought she would have changed."

"Hope springs eternal," Alex quipped. "You're allowed to hope, Winn, there's nothing wrong with that and none of this is your fault. I'm sorry to be so blunt but she's a bitch, that's all there is to it."

"I may not know him as well as the two of you but I'm pretty sure Hank will say the same thing," James added.

"He will," Winn sighed.

"And no you're not allowed to ask him if she's still alive," Alex scolded. "You're also not allowed to try and get in touch with her anymore."

"I wasn't planning on it," Winn assured her. "I, I have to move on at some point, right? Might as well do it while I have people in my corner."

"We'll always be in your corner, Winn," Alex hugged him. "Nothing will ever change that, I promise."

There was a pause then Winn tentatively wrapped his arms around her as well. She waved her hand and James joined in, Kara coming from the kitchen. She was never one to miss out on a hug.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is the last chapter I have written so it maybe a little bit before the next update.

**Author's Note:**

> I have the next two chapters written but I make no promises that this will ever be finished.


End file.
